UNCLE  SAM'S"  CABINS. 

BENJAMIN  RUSH  DAVENPORT. 


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DUKE  UNIVERSITY 


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The  Glenn  Negley  Collection 
of  Utopian  Literature 


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"UNCLE    SAMS" 

CABINS. 


A  STORY  OF  AMERICAN  LIFE 


LOOKING  FORWARD  A  CENTURY. 


NEW  YORK: 

THE  MASCOT   PUBLISHING  CO. 

1895. 


Copyright,   1895, 

BY 

THE  MASCOT  PUBLISHING  CO. 


PREFACE 

Friends,  to  whom  the  author  submitted  the  manu- 
script of  "  '  Uncle  Sam's  '  Cabins,"  have  unanimously 
expressed  the  opinion  that  the  author  would  be  ac- 
cused of  an  attempted  imitation  of  that  remarkable 
work  of  Mrs.  Harriet  Beecher  Stowe — "  Uncle  Tom's 
Cabin." 

The  author  desires  to  confess  frankly  that  the 
motive  and  title  were  suggested  by  the  famous  book 
of  that  talented  writer.  Indeed,  most  gladly  would  the 
author  of  "  '  Uncle  Sam's  '  Cabins  "  plead  guilty  to  the 
charge  of  being  an  imitator  throughout  the  entire 
work,  if  this  book  be  only  partially  as  successful 
in  preventing  an  enslavement  more  painful  for  the 
descendants  of  Anglo-Saxons  to  even  contemplate, 
than  the  slavery  which  the  influence  of  Mrs.  Stowe's 
work,  "'  Uncle  Tom's'  Cabin,"  so  powerfully  assisted 
to  terminate. 

By  a  concatenation  of  circumstances,  the  very  meas- 
ures necessary  to  accomplish  the  liberation  of  those 
slaves,  in  whose  behalf  Mrs.  Stowe's  great  book  so 
wonderfully  aroused  the  sympathy  of  the  Nation,  have 
resulted  in  creating  conditions  pregnant  with  danger 
to  the  freedom  of  a  large  class — in  fact,  the  majority  of 
the  population  of  the  United  States. 

AUTHOR. 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2010  with  funding  from 
Duke  University  Libraries 


http://www.archive.org/details/unclesamscabinssOOdave 


"UNCLE  SAM'S"  CABINS. 


CHAPTER  I. 


The  mist  lay  dense  upon  the  face  of  the  earth  that 
April  morning,  1994,  concealing  the  bending  figure  of  a 
woman,  as  she  pushed  aside  the  fast  disappearing  snow 
in  her  search  for  the  first  appearing  dandelion,  fresh 
and  crisp,  clinging  close  to  the  warm  earth,  beneath  its 
white  and  frosty  blanket.  The  woman,  rising  from  her 
hunt  in  the  snow,  stood  erect,  raising  her  head  and 
shoulders  above  the  low-lying  mist,  as  mountains 
lift  their  heads  above  humid  clouds,  disclosing  a  face 
of  pathetic  beauty,  accentuated  by  the  total  absence 
of  even  an  attempt  at  personal  adornment. 

The  coarse  home-made  sun-bonnet,  falling  back  from 
her  head  as  she  rose  to  an  erect  position,  revealed  a 
mass  of  light  brown  hair,  gathered  in  a  plain  knot  at 
the  back  of  her  head,  (held  in  place  by  a  wooden  pin,) 
which  together  with  the  open  brow,  full,  large  grey 
eyes  and  almost  transparently  fair  skin,  proclaimed  her 
Anglo-Saxon  blood  ;  the  mouth  and  chin  though  cast 
in  nature's  mould  of  beauty,  told  a  painful  story  of 
suffering  and  resignation, — the  sigh,  that  parted  the 
lips  as  she  gazed  about  the  ghostly  clad  fields,  served 
to    exhibit   the  white,    regular  teeth,  with    which    the 


6  "  UNCLE   SAM'S  "    CABINS. 

descendants  of  that  race  of  conquerors,  the  Anglo- 
Saxons,  are  usually  blessed. 

The  woman  was  hardly  twenty  years  of  age,  fresh, 
beautiful,  and,  yet  the  painfully  apparent  absence  of  a 
something  in  the  face,  would  have  caused  a  pang  to 
the  most  callous  beholder — that  something,  not  to  be 
found  reflected  in  the  face  of  the  young  woman  who 
stood  half  revealed  above  the  mist  that  covered  the  dis- 
trict of  Ohio,  in  America, this  April  morning — was  Hope. 
The  drooping  shoulders,  and  slender,  bended  neck,  told 
the  story  of  hopelessness  and  despondency  as  well  and 
clearly  as  the  sad,  beautiful  eyes,  whence  the  very 
soul  seemed  to  shine  forth  only  in  sadness. 

The  unbeautiful  bonnet,  as  it  hung  by  pieces  of 
twine  from  her  neck,  had  not  even  one  bit  of  ribbon 
upon  it  to  proclaim  a  poor  effort  at  making  homely 
surroundings  more  attractive.  The  plain  gown,  made 
of  roughly  woven  woolen  stuff,  had  not  a  frill  or  tuck, 
to  give  evidence  of  that  instinct,  last  to  die  in  the 
womanly  heart,  a  desire  to  appear  well,  even  under  the 
most  adverse  circumstances.  All  of  this  had  evi- 
dently gone  out  of  her  young  life,  or  such  feelings  had 
never  existed  in  the  heart  of  this  woman.  Perhaps 
such  natural  feelings  had  been  crushed  out  of  the  very 
possibility  of  existence  in  the  descendants  of  the 
American  tenantry,  by  their  surrounding  conditions 
which,  in  each  succeeding  generation,  became  more 
and  more  hopeless  and  horrible. 

The  mist  fading  away  before  the  rays  of  the  rising 
sun,  discloses  the  slim  figure  moving  across  the  fields 
towards  the  road.  From  time  to  time  she  would  pause 
to  push  aside  the  snow  with  the  clumsy  shoes  she 
wore,  made  of   leather  straps    nailed  to  wooden    soles, 


"  UNCLE   SAM  S       CABINS.  7 

and  would  stoop  and  dig  up  the  bunches  of  dandelion 
concealed  beneath,  until  the  rude  basket  made  of 
bended  willow  twigs  was  filled. 

As  the  girl,  (for  she  was  hardly  more,)  divided  the 
bushes  growing  upon  the  bank  of  the  ditch,  which 
separated  the  field  from  the  road,  and  sprang  across, 
she  saw  riding  down  the  hill  towards  her  at  a  headlong 
gallop,  a  horseman  accompanied  by  three  hunting 
dogs,  which  seemed  to  have  imbibed,  like  the  impetuous 
rider  of  the  large  black  horse,  a  wild  desire  for  exer- 
cise and  excitement. 

The  young  woman  paused  as  if  meditating  flight 
back  into  the  field,  but  the  opportunity  if  such  were 
her  intention  was  lost,  as  the  voice  of  the  approaching 
horseman  called  out  in  a  cheery,  wholesome  kind  of 
tone,  which  bespoke  the  open,  frank  nature  of  the 
early  morning  rider : 

"  Hello  !  Mollie,  what  are  you  doing  out  so  early  in 
this  damp,  cold  mist,  without  cloak  or  shawl  ?  "  By 
this  time  the  horse  stood  impatiently  jerking  at  the 
bit  by  the  woman's  side,  the  dogs  springing  and  danc- 
ing around,  showing  an  old  and  intimate  acquaintance 
with  the  fair  gatherer  of  dandelions. 

The  young  man  who  thus  addressed  the  woman, 
presented  an  incongruous  appearance.  His  large  muscu- 
lar frame,  together  with  the  scars  of  past  battles,  gave 
evidence  not  only  of  the  ability  to  wage  war,  but  also, 
the  fact  that  he  had  done  so. 

The  clear,  ruddy,  dark  skin  and  nervous,  sun-browned 
hands,  told  a  story  of  vigorous  health  and  days  spent 
in  open  air. 

The  fact  that  he  wore  no  mustache  or  beard  made 
even  his    twenty-five    years  of    life,  seem    less    to    the 


8  "  UNCLE   SAM  S       CABINS. 

casual  observer,  but  the  steady  earnestness  of  his  dark 
eyes  soon  eradicated  the  impression  of  youthfulness  in 
those  who  met  him  often. 

The.  face  carried  the  idea  of  determined,  steady, 
tirelessness  of  character,  the  chin  square  and  strong, 
marked  the  almost  bulldog  tenacity  and  combative- 
ness  of  the  handsome  fellow  who  sprang  down  from  his 
horse,  into  the  mud  of  the  road,  beside  the  girl  whom 
he  had  addressed  as  "  Mollie."  As  he  took  off  his 
cap  in  salutation,  the  black,  closely  cut  curls  which 
lay  all  over  his  head,  like  a  frame  served  to  set  off 
the  frank,  manly  face. 

He  wore  long  riding  boots  reaching  nearly  to  the 
hips,  black  cloth  trousers  and  jacket,  but  beneath  the 
pugnacious  chin,  bespeaking  the  spirit  of  a  gladiator, 
and  around  a  chest  which  might  serve  as  a  model  for 
a  statue  of  Hercules,  with  seeming  incongruity,  was 
the  uniform  of  God's  soldiers — the  black,  buttonless 
vest  and  little  strip  of  white  collar  above,  denoted  a 
clerical  calling. 

As  he  grasped  the  girl's  slender  hand  in  his  large, 
strong  palm,  and  held  it,  while  in  a  jolly,  brotherly 
way,  he  scolded  her  for  her  imprudence  in  exposing 
herself,  so  scantily  clad,  to  the  dampness  of  the  early 
spring  morning,  the  girl  looked  up  into  the  face  of  the 
man,  towering  above  her,  and  a  flush  of  momentary 
pleasure  stole  over  the  fair  neck  and  face,  as  she  said  : 

"  Really,  Mr.  Lawton,  I  have  not  felt  any  chilliness." 

With  mock  gravity,  this  clerical  giant,  bowing  low, 
replied  : 

"  I  beg  Miss  Mary  Hollister's  pardon  for  presuming 
to — oh  !  pshaw,  Mollie,  stop  calling  me  '  Mister  Law- 
ton.'      I  am    the  same  rough-and-tumble  Jack  Lawton 


"  UNCLE   SAM  S       CABINS.  9 

who  romped  with  you  in  boyhood  over  these  fields, 
and  I  don't  believe  that  I  will  prove  a  poorer  soldier  in 
the  Great  Master's  army,  by  retaining  the  liberty  of 
loving  old  friends  in  the  old  way,  and  speaking,  and 
being  spoken  to,  as  before  I  became  a  clergyman." 

With  almost  an  imperceptible  sigh  Mary  said,  releas- 
ing her  hand  :  "  It  is  not  that  you  are  now  a  clergy- 
man, Mr.  Jack,  but  you  know  how  many  reasons  other 
than  that  there  are." 

"  Well,  never  let  any  reason,  Mollie,  prevent  you 
from  feeling  that  the  long-standing  friendship  between 
us  still  remains  as  firm  as  ever."  With  this  speech  he 
threw  the  bridle  over  his  arm,  saying :  "  Come,  I  will 
walk  up  the  hill  to  your  home,  and  as  we  go,  I  will 
help  you  balance  accounts  with  me  for  the  scolding  I 
have  been  giving  you,  by  confessing  some  sins  of  my 
own." 

As  this  strongly  contrasted  couple  walked  down  the 
muddy  road,  the  man  striking  away  with  his  whip,  the 
mud  clinging  to  his  boots,  seemed  to  hesitate  and  at 
last  blurted  out :  "  Well  !  we  had  a  row  last  night  at 
home  and  I  fear  I  was  no  more  respectful  to  my  father 
than  I  should  have  been.  I  got  up  early  this  morning  in- 
tending by  a  long  hard  ride  to  obliterate  all  recollec- 
tions of  it,  and  in  the  freshness  of  the  morning  air,  lose 
the  fumes  of  last  night's  temper,  so  that  by  the  time 
the  family  are  in  the  breakfast-room,  I  will  be  in  con- 
dition to  beg  pardon  !  " 

Mary,  looking  away  from  the  tramping  figure  strid- 
ing beside  her,  heedless  of  mud  or  snow,  said,  seemingly 
addressing  herself  more  than  her  companion,  "  It  was 
a  discussion  about  the  tenants  !  " 

"Yes,  it  was,  Mollie,"  almost  fiercely  said  the  man  ; 


10  "  UNCLE   SAM'S  "    CABINS. 

"  it  will  ever  and  always  be  that  one  question  as  long 
as  the  present  condition  of  affairs  in  this  country 
exists.  I  regret  always,  doing  or  saying  anything  to 
offend  my  father,  so  I  will  apologize  for  my  manner  of 
last  night  and  my  hot  and  hasty  speeches  ;  but  I  hold, 
of  course,  to  my  opinions,  and  shall  ever  do  so,  concern- 
ing what  I  consider  the  duty  of  a  Christian,  a  man  and 
an  American  with  regard  to  the  Proprietors  and  tenants. 
The  enforcement  of  Bonds  of  Servitude  upon  the 
farm-class  of  the  country  is,  to  me  a  horror,  and  a 
disgrace  to  Christianity  and  civilization.  I  have 
rejoiced  that  the  tenants  of  my  father's  estate  have 
been  enabled  to  resist — until  now. 

"  Last  night  when  the  lawyer  arrived  bringing  the 
bonds  to  be  executed  by  the  tenants,  and  I  heard 
the  chuckle  of  delight  with  which  he  read  the 
conditions  of  the  bonds  to  my  father  and  elder 
brother,  I  recalled  that  these  instruments  were  intended 
to  make  slaves  of  some  of  those,  with  whom  the  hap- 
piest hours  of  my  boyhood  were  passed.  I  lost  all 
control  of  myself,  and  I  fear  was  disrespectful  and 
unjust  to  my  father  and  brother.  I  am  truly  thankful 
that  Weaving,  the  lawyer,  slipped  out  of  the  room 
when  I  began  to  talk,  for,  had  he  remained  I  don't 
believe  I  could  have  resisted  the  temptation  to  kick 
him  through  the  window  "  and  he  added,  half  to  him- 
self, as  he  glanced  with  a  look  of  satisfaction  at  his 
powerful  legs, — "  He  would  have  sailed  out  of  that 
window  as  far  as  any  football  I  ever  kicked  for  old 
'Eli.'" 

Turning  toward  the  pale,  drooping  figure,  he  saw 
the  effect  of  the  mention  of  the  Bonds  of  Servitude 
upon  his  meek  companion.    The  light  had  faded  from 


"  UNCLE    SAMS        CABINS.  II 

her  downcast  eyes,  and  the  color  had  fled  from  the 
face  now  averted  from  him — she  walked  the  embodi- 
ment of  a  crushed  spirit.  Seeing  her,  so  poor,  so  frail, 
and  cast  down,  he  grasped  her  hand,  saying  :  "  Oh,  Mol- 
lie  forgive  me !  I  am  so  forgetful,  so  hasty,  sometimes 
I  fear  so  unfitted  for  the  work  of  my  Master,  that  I 
almost  give  up.  My  indignation  and  hot  temper  made 
me  last  night  forget  the  uniform  I  wear,  and  be 
disrespectful,  unjust  and  violent.  This  morning's 
thoughtlessness,  makes  me  wound  the  heart  of  my  old- 
est and  dearest  friend.  I  am  an  unfortunate  man,  un- 
suited  I  begin  to  believe,  for  the  work  I  love  and 
have  chosen." 

The  girl's  cold  fingers  returned  the  pressure  of  his 
kindly  hand,  and  without  lifting  her  head,  she  said  in 
a  low  voice,  half  inaudible  :  "  God  never  made  a  brave 
and  honest  warrior  for  His  service,  Mr.  Jack,  if  you 
are  not  one  !  From  boyhood,  you  have  been  the  friend 
and  champion  of  the  poor,  desolate  tenantry. 
Nightly,  in  every  humble  home  for  miles  around, 
your  name  is  uttered  as  the  prayers  of  the  poor  ascend 
to  God."  They  had  now  reached  in  their  walk  the  top 
of  the  hill  where  just  back  from  the  road,  stood  a 
dreary,  wretched  hut. 

The  girl  stopped,  placing  her  disengaged  hand  over 
the  firm,  brown  hand  holding  hers,  and  looking 
up  into  the  man's  face,  said  :  "  Good-bye,  Mr.  Jack! — 
Heaven  keep  you — our  only  friend  except  the  God 
above  us  !  "  and  hurried  across  the  road  into  the  hut 
on  the  hill. 

The  man  paused  as  if  undecided  whether  to  follow 
her  or  not,  then  looking  sadly  at  the  hovel,  slowly  got 
into  the  saddle  and  rode  down  the  road. 


CHAPTER  II. 

The  hut  Mary  Hollister  called  home  was  the 
usual  mud-plastered  hovel  of  the  farming  class  of  Amer- 
ica in  1994.  It  stood  bleak  and  dreary  on  the  hill 
beside  the  road  ;  no  fence  nor  trees  surrounded  the 
place,  nor  was  there  a  barn  near  it.  Cheerless  and 
comfortless,  it  stood  alone,  in  all  the  ugliness  of  mud- 
plaster  and  squalid  poverty. 

A  woman  bending  over  a  fire  in  the  open  chimney- 
place,  turned  at  the  abrupt  entrance  of  Mary.  She 
was  the  wan,  aged,  faded  picture  of  the  younger  wo- 
man, only  the  hopelessness  and  despair  in  her  face 
were  more  pronounced  by  reason  of  the  sunken  eyes 
and  the  white  scanty  locks'of  hair  falling  around  her  pale 
face,  making  a  background  of  deathly  whiteness 
for  a  countenance  which,  as  a  picture  would  have  been 
labeled  "The  Grave  of  Joy." 

Mary  sank  down  upon  the  earthen  floor  of  the  room, 
near  her  mother's  side,  and  said:  "The  lawyer  has 
brought  the  Bonds  of  Servitude  down  from  the  court- 
house for  the  tenants  to  execute  and  at  last,  we  are 
to  become  slaves.  Jack  Lawton  met  me  on  the  road 
this     morning     and     told    me    he      had     a     quarrel 


"UNCLE   SAMS   '    CABINS.  13 

last  night  with  his  father  and  brother  Henry,  on 
the  subject  of  the  tenants.  God  bless  Mr.  Jack 
— noblest  boy  and  man  that  ever  lived ! "  and 
Mary's  pale  face  flushed  beneath  the  anxious,  intent 
gaze  of  her  mother  as  she  finished  the  declara- 
tion. 

In  that  subdued  tone  of  voice  of  one  long  accustomed 
to  humiliation  the  mother  said  :  "  Well,  God's  will  be 
done !  I  had  hoped  not  to  be  obliged  to  see  my  chil- 
dren attached  as  serfs,  to  the  land,  that  was  once  the 
property  of  their  grandfather.  I  am  thankful  that  your 
proud,  heart-broken  father  was  spared  the  hateful  spec- 
tacle. 

"  Did  Mr.  Jack  say  when  the  tenants  will  be  called 
upon  to  settle  the  matter?  " 

"  No  ;  but  of  course, I  fear  that  it  will  be  very  soon, 
if  this  weather  continues,  as  the  land  will  be  ready  for 
sowing  within  a  few  weeks,  and  the  Proprietor  has 
notified  all  the  tenants,  as  you  know,  through  Johnson 
the  superintendent,  that  horses  to  plow  the  land,  and 
seed  to  plant  it,  will  only  be  furnished  to  those  who 
give  the  Bonds  of  Servitude. 

"Oh,  mother!  what  shall  we  do?  It  will  kill 
George  to  become  a  slave  of  the  Lawton  family,  for, 
much  as  George  has  always  loved  Mr.  Jack,  the  fierce 
resentment  against  the  Lawton  name,  inherited  from 
our  father,  has  made  my  brother  a  rebellious  spirit 
among  the  tenants  of  this  district. 

"  I  pray  that  Mr.  Jack  will  be  able  to  reason,  and 
lead  George  to  acquiescence  in  this,  as  I  am  ever  fear- 
ful of  the  result  of  the  violent  temper  of  my  brother." 

Mrs.  Hollister  had  seated  herself  upon  one  of  the 
three  rough  stools,  with  which  the  room  was  furnished, 


14  "  UNCLE    SAM  S   '    CABINS. 

and  regarded  the  pitiful,  crouching  figure  and  anxious 
face  of  her  daughter,  in  sympathetic  silence. 

The  worry  and  care  of  the  women  were  too  great  to 
be  expressed  in  words. 

A  glance  around  the  humble  abode  of  the  Hollisters. 
where  lived  widowed  mother,  daughter  and  a  son  of 
twenty-seven  years  of  age,  disclosed  the  condition  of 
the  farm-class  at  the  time,  of  which,  we  write. 

The  floor  was  made  of  clayey  earth,  beaten  hard, 
clean,  but,  of  course,  without  carpet  or  other  covering. 
The  walls  of  the  hut  had  originally  been  made  of  planed 
boards,  tongued  and  grooved,  but  time  and  weather 
so  destroyed  the  planks  that  it  had  become  neces- 
sary to  plaster  the  entire  outer  walls  with  mud,  to  keep 
the  wind  and  rain  out  of  the  cheerless  interior. 

Just  over  the  rough  mantel-shelf  there  was  a  circular 
hole  in  the  chimney,  showing,  where  at  some  long  past 
time,  a  stove-pipe  had  done  duty  ;  now,  stoves  were  un- 
known in  the  homes  of  the  farm-class  in  America.  All 
cooking  was  done  in  an  open  fireplace,  the  stoves  of 
a  century  before  having  become  worn  out  and  impos- 
sible to  replace  because  of  the  poverty  of  the  tenantry. 
Two  rough,  unplaned  shelves,  attached  to  the  wall  at 
either  side  of  the  room,  covered  with  a  coarse  kind  of 
bagging,  beneath  which  was  a  sort  of  mattress  made 
of  dried  moss,  served  as  the  sleeping-places  for  mother 
and  daughter. 

A  ladder  at  the  back  of  the  room  led  to  the  dark 
leaky  attic,  where  George  Hollister  slept  upon  a  bundle 
of  straw  not  even  covered  by  bagging. 

Across  one  corner  of  the  room  was  hung  a  curtain, 
made  of  the  woven  twigs  of  willow  bushes,  arranged  to 
form  a  closet,  in  which,  was  kept  the  few  poor  articles 


"  UNCLE   SAM'S  "    CABINS.  1 5 

of  wearing  apparel  owned  by  the  two  women.  A  box 
of  crude  workmanship  at  one  side  of  the  hearth,  held 
the  scanty  stock  of  provisions  for  the  household. 

In  place  of  the  bright  tins  and  glazed  crockeryware 
of  the  latter  part  of  the  nineteenth  century,  a  few, 
brown,  unglazed  plates  of  earthenware  were  placed  on 
the  mantel-piece.  A  table  made  from  the  remains  of 
a  packing-case,  stood  in  the  centre  of  the  room,  and 
with  three  stools  and  two  common  benches,  constituted 
all  the  furniture  of  the  hovel. 

A  battered  pot  was  boiling  on  the  hearth,  over  a  fire 
made  of  bits  of  branches,  collected  in  the  nearby  for- 
est. Instead  of  andirons,  pieces  of  rock  supported  the 
blazing  branches  of  wood.  Only  one  window  admitted 
light  to  the  gloomy  interior  of  the  hovel,  and  as  that 
was  without  glass,  light  was  obtained  only  at  the 
expense  of  comfort,  this  damp  morning. 

Mary  arose  and  in  an  automatic  manner  began  to 
place  the  earthenware  platters  upon  the  clothless  table, 
then  having  emptied  the  basket  of  dandelions  into  a 
basin,  began  to  wash  and  assort  the  welcome  addition 
to  the  meagre  meal,  which,  when  the  boiling  pot  was 
placed  upon  the  table,  consisted  of  coarse  corn,  hominy 
or  grits,  water,  salt  and  the  dandelions. 

As  the  two  sorrowful  inmates  of  the  hovel  seated 
themselves  to  partake  of  the  poor  fare  upon  the  table, 
Mary  asked : 

"  Mother,  where  is  George  ?  is  he  sleeping  still  ?  " 

"  No  ;  he  left  the  house  soon  after  you  did,  to  gather 
wood  in  the  forest.  He  said  not  to  wait  for  him,  as  he 
intended  to  make  some  bird  snares  in  the  woods  before 
returning,"  said  the  mother. 

The  women  bowed  their  heads  in  prayer,  before  tast- 


l6  "  UNCLE   SAM'S  "   CABINS. 

ing  the  uninviting  food.  In  their  gratitude  for  even 
that  little,  in  the  cheerless  waste  of  their  lives,  thank- 
ing God  with  a  fervor  unfelt  in  more  prosperous  times, 
by  even  those  blessed  with  luxurious  surroundings. 

The  frugal  meal  quickly  finished,  the  table  cleared, 
Mary  gathered  up  out  of  one  corner  of  the  room  several 
bundles  of  dry  broom  grass,  and,  seated  at  one  side  of 
the  hearth,  began  with  nimble  fingers  to  weave,  or 
rather  plait  a  straw  basket.  Her  mother  sat  near 
the  window,  enduring  the  dampness  and  cold  for  the 
sake  of  the  light,  which  was  necessary  for  her  failing 
sight,  to  enable  her  to  knit  the  coarse  stockings  then 
worn  by  all  the  women  of  the  Avorking  people  of  the 
country. 

The  stillness  was  not  broken  by  mother  or  daughter; 
each  absorbed  in  her  own  bitter  thoughts,  each  loath 
to  add  to  the  already  crushing  load  of  sorrow  borne  by 
the  other,  by  giving  expression  to  the  feelings  filling 
their  wretched  minds. 


CHAPTER  III. 

The  three  men  seated  at  the  breakfast  table,  when 
the  Rev.  John  Lawton  entered  the  room  after  his  morn- 
ing ride,  afforded  the  strongest  possible  contrast  to  that 
vigorous  clerical  athlete.  The  oldest  man  of  the  party, 
at  the  head  of  the  table,  to  whom  he  addressed  a 
hearty  "  Good-morning  father,"  was  past  sixty  years 
of  age,  pale,  slender,  of  refined,  ascetic  appearance, 
but  with  the  evidences  of  physical  weakness,  the  firm 
chin  and  small  blue  eyes  marking  him  as  a  man  of  reso- 
lute character.  There  was  an  expression  upon  the  face 
of  John  Lawton,  Sr.,  which,  in  some  manner,  conveyed 
the  idea  of  cruelty,  in  spite  of  the  refined  and  gentle- 
manly bearing  of  the  man. 

The  youngest  man  at  the  table  was  Henry  Lawton, 
the  eldest  son,  and  heir  of  the  proprietor  of  the  Ohio 
District.  His  colorless  skin,  and  wasted  form,  told  a 
story  of  ill  health.  The  effect  of  the  contrast  between 
him  and  his  sturdy  younger  brother  became  painfully 
apparent  as  the  newcomer  took  his  seat  oppo- 
site him.  Henry  Lawton  had  hastened  the  foot-steps 
of  time  by  early  dissipation,  and  while  only  thirty- 
five  years   of   age,    so  like    was  he  to  his    father   in 


1 8  "  UNCLE    SAM'S  "    CABINS. 

form  and  features,  that  one  not  knowing  them,  might 
have  guessed  them  to  be  brothers  of  nearly  the  same 
age. 

The  third  man  who  greeted  the  new  arrival,  was  Mr. 
Weaving,  the  lawyer  of  the  Lawton  family.  He  was 
a  dried  up,  brown,  parchment-like  old-young  man,  of 
any  age  from  forty  to  sixty.  The  deep  set,  glittering, 
small  black  eyes,  with  which  he  regarded  the  young 
minister,  recalled  to  mind  the  baleful  light  of  the  bead- 
like eyes  of  the  deadly  rattle-snake. 

The  room  was  plainly  yet  handsomely  furnished, 
some  paintings  of  game  adorned  the  walls,  the  bright 
flame  from  the  blazing  English  cannel  coal,  with  which 
the  large  grate  was  heaped,  was  reflected  in  the  polished, 
mirror-like  hard- wood  floor,  where  the  warm  rugs 
beneath  the  table  and  before  the  fireplace,  left  the 
smooth  surface  exposed.  The  table  held  the  usual 
glass  and  china  to  be  found  in  the  homes  of  the  large 
landowners.  A  tempting  and  delicately  served  meal 
presented  a  welcome  sight  to  the  hungry  horseman 
who,  now  as  he  raised  his  head  after  a  silent  prayer, 
said  : 

"  Father,  I  am  exceedingly  sorry  for  permitting  my- 
self to  become  angry  last  night  and  to  use  language 
disrespectful  to  you,  unkind  to  Henry,  impolite  to  Mr. 
Weaving,  and  unbecoming  a  clergyman,  I  most  humbly 
apologize  to  you  all." 

Mr.  Lawton  smiled  in  an  indulgent  manner,  saying: 
"  Oh!  it's  all  right  Jack,  but  my  dear  impetuous  boy, 
you  don't  consider  the  welfare  of  the  estate  a  minute, 
when  your  sympathy  is  aroused  for  your  old  playmates, 
the  tenants  ;  if  you  were  the  first  son  and  heir  to  the 
property,    I    really   don't   know  what  would   happen. 


"  UNCLE   SAM'S  "    CABINS.  19 

Truly,  Jack,  I  begin  to  appreciate  the  wisdom  of  our 
forefathers  in  creating  the  "  Family  Compact  "  a  cen- 
tury ago,  whereby  the  eldest  son  inherits  all  the  estate 
of  the  ancestor.  True,  it  was  originated  to  obviate  the 
operation  of  the  laws  against  entailment,  and  to 
magnify  in  succeeding  generations  the  fortunes  inher- 
ited,but  verily,  I  am  now  thankful  that  Henry,  at  my 
death,  will  become  the  sole  inheritor  of  the  estate. 
You  are  so  blinded  by  your  sympathy,  that  it  would 
hardly  be  safe  under  your  control." 

Henry  Lawton  cast  a  glance  of  pitying  contempt 
upon  his  robust  brother,  as  his  father  paused,  Weaving 
grinned  his  acquiescence  to  the  speaker. 

"Well,"  said  Jack  Lawton,  as  he  helped  himself  to 
toast,  "  I  may  regret  with  propriety  my  manner  and 
temper,  but  I  cannot  change  or  regret  my  opinion  with 
regard  to  the  condition  of  the  poor  people  of  America  ; 
a  wrong  has  been  committed,  possibly  with  the  best  in- 
tention, a  century  ago.  I  attach  no  blame  to  our  ances- 
tors because  I  believe  many  of  them  meditated  no  in- 
jury to  their  fellow  citizens,  but  I  think  it  now  the  duty 
of  every  Christian  man  in  America  to  reject  the  benefits 
derived  from  the  wrong." 

"  But !  Jack, my  son,"  said  the  smiling  father,  "  you 
suggest  difficulties  and  objections  but  offer  no  means 
of  escape  from  the  consequences  of  the  policy  pursued 
for  more  than  a  century  by  those  gone  before  us.  As 
a  matter  of  fact  the  situation  is  just  this— money  must 
be  obtained  in  some  manner  by  the  Government  to 
pay  the  expenses  of  the  Nation. 

"  And  since  our  imports  amount  to  almost  nothing, 
the  tax  collected  now  hardly  pays  the  wages  of  the 
custom  officers.     As  the  last  resource,  the  Proprietors 


20  "  UNCLE   SAM  S       CABINS. 

are  obliged  to  tax  their  lands  and  incomes.  The 
European  markets  are  flooded  with  products  similar 
to  those  of  our  farms,  but  which  are  drawn  from  Africa, 
Asia  and  South  America.  The  prices,  therefore,  now 
obtained  are  so  low  that  they  leave  no  margin  for  the 
tenantry — the  farm-class  in  America — consequently 
they  can  buy  not  even  the  necessaries  of  fifty  years 
ago,  and  as  a  result,  the  factory  property  of  the  Lawton 
estate  in  New  England  stands  idle,  and  is  going  to  ruin. 

"  The  houses  belonging  to  our  factory  companies, 
formerly  rented  by  the  mill-hands  and  mechanics  are 
vacant  and  tenantless,  only  serving  to  increase  our 
taxes.  The  former  occupants  have  become  tramps 
and  vagrants,  or  emigrants  to  other  countries. 

"  Were  it  not  for  the  strong  army  which  we  the 
Proprietors,  are  obliged  to  tax  ourselves  to  maintain, 
rapine  and  riot  would  rule  the  land.  Under  such  cir- 
cumstances, slave  labor  alone  can  save  the  owners  of 
property  in  America.  It  is  not  cruelty,  it  is  self  pres- 
ervation. Without  slave  labor,  we  cannot  compete 
with  the  raisers  of  farm  products  in  other  lands." 

"  Father,"  replied  Jack,  "  I  grant  the  truth  of  what 
you  say  concerning  the  difficulties  confronting  the  land 
owners,  but  somehow  the  feeling  that  we  and  men  of 
our  position  are  as  much  responsible  for  the  present 
state  of  the  country,  as  the  poor  tenants,  leads  me  to  a 
willingness  and  desire  to  share  the  burden  inherited 
from  past  generations,  along  with  the  miserable  farm- 
class  whom,  necessity  and  self  preservation,  you  say, 
force    the  Proprietors  to  make  slaves." 

"But  Jack,  how  can  we  share  the  load  ?  I  respect 
your  charity,  but  tell  me  how  you  would  advise  the 
Proprietors  of  America  to  act  ?  " 


"  UNCLE   SAM  S       CABINS.  21 

"  I  think,  sir,"  said  the  young  man,  "  That  it  is  not 
a  matter  of  charity,  but  it  is  the  duty  of  the  Proprie- 
tors as  Christian  men,  to  refuse  to  be  benefitted  by  acts 
of  injustice  done  by  their  ancestors,  which, at  the  time 
of  doing  may  have  seemed  harmless,  but  they  have 
proven  ruinous  to  the  majority  of  the  people  of  this 
country,  and  I  believe  fully,  that,  if  advantage  be  now 
taken  of  the  position  of  the  tenants,  when  all  educated 
men  recognize  the  falsity  of  the  system  of  taxation  by 
which,  the  farm-class  has  been  brought  to  this  condi- 
tion, the  Proprietors  will  be  punished  by  a  just  God  to 
the  third  and  fourth  generations,  as  the  farm-class  are 
now  being  punished  in  the  third  and  fourth  generation 
for  the  faults  and  errors  of  their  ancestors,  committed 
a  century  ago." 

Weaving  could  no  longer  resist  the  desire  to  prod 
the  man  of  sentiment  and  charity,  with  the  goad  of 
practical  business. 

"  That  is  very  pretty  sentiment  for  men  of  your 
cloth,  but  can  you  suggest  some  every  day  method  of 
accomplishing  any  permanent  benefit  for  the  tenants?" 
said  the  lawyer. 

Jack  colored  to  the  fringe  of  black  curls  on  his  fore- 
head, for  he  knew  he  was  no  match  for  the  cold, 
hard,  practical  man  of  business  affairs,  who  addressed 
him,  but  looking  around  the  room,  an  idea  was  sug- 
gested by  the  various  imported  articles  he  saw. 

"  To  begin  with,  Mr.  Weaving,"  replied  the  young 
man,  "  Why  do  not  the  Proprietors  buy  rugs,  glass, 
clocks,  furniture,  in  America,  instead  of  in  Europe?" 
"  Well,  first,  Mr.  Jack,"  said  the  man  of  law,  as  he  smiled 
at  the  Proprietor,  "  for  the  best  of  reasons,  we  do  not 
manufacture  them  in  America." 


22  "  UNCLE   SAM'S  "   CABINS. 

"Then, why  not?"  exclaimed  the  undaunted  Jack. 

"  For  a  second  most  excellent  reason,  we  have  not  a 
sufficient  number  of  people  in  the  country  who  have 
enough  money  to  purchase  them  even  if  made  here, 
hence  the  manufacturers  cannot  run  their  factories  to 
supply  the  very  limited  demand  arising  from  the  few- 
Proprietors,"  answered  Weaving  with  exultation,  and 
added  :  "  You  see  the  greatest  land  owner  or  Proprie- 
tor in  America  can  only  use  one  coat  at  a  time,  but  a 
limited  number  of  rugs,  clocks,  glass,  etc.  It  is  impos- 
sible for  him  to  create  a  sufficient  demand  to  run  home 
factories,  so  he  is  obliged  to  purchase  in  Europe,  and 
pay  the  import  duty  which,  of  course,  helps  to  support 
the  government." 

"But,"  said  young  Lawton,  "my  father  just  now 
said  that  the  duties  collected  were  hardly  enough  to 
pay  the  wages  of  the  custom  house  officers." 

"That  is  true,  and  has  been  so  for  years,  and,  of 
course,  as  estates  become  larger  and  wealth  concen- 
trated, the  amount  collected  as  customs, will  ever  grow 
smaller  as  there  will  be  fewer  people  able  to  buy  any- 
thing but  the  commonest  necessaries  of  life;  however, 
that  is  not  the  fault  of  the  present  Proprietors,  it  is 
the  result  of  the  American  system,"  said  Weaving. 

Not  to  be  silenced  by  the  unanswerable  truth  of  the 
statements  of  Weaving,  young  Lawton  said  : 

"  Why  not  manufacture  goods  for  exportation  to 
other  countries,  since  our  farming  people  are  too  poor 
to  purchase  the  result  of  the  labors  of  the  mechanics?" 

"  To  reply  properly,  my  dear  sir,  to  that  question 
would  keep  us  at  table  until  bedtime,"  said  the  crafty 
lawyer,  "  however,  to  put  it  briefly,  at  present,  skilled 
artisans  are  so  few  in  America  that  it  would  be  difficult  to 


"  UNCLE   SAM  S        CABINS.  23 

supply  the  necessary  operators  to  manufacture — fac- 
tories having  been  closed  for  many  years  here, — and 
again,  to  go  over  all  the  causes  which  created  the 
impossibility  of  manufacturing  goods  as  cheaply  in 
this  country  as  in  Europe,  would  be  to  relate  the  stoiy 
of  a  system  by  which  the  materials  used  in  manufac- 
turing, cost  more  in  a  raw  state  in  this  country  than 
elsewhere,  and  also  to  explain  that  wages  paid  to  labor 
were  higher  than  elsewhere." 

"  If,"  said  the  listening  clergyman,  interrupting  the 
speaker,  "  the  wages  received  by  mechanics  and  arti- 
sans were  too  high  in  the  former  period  of  American 
prosperity,  why  were  they  not  reduced?" 

"  I  can  explain  that  by  saying  that  the  cost  of 
living,  rent,  clothing,  etc.,  was  so  much  higher  here 
than  in  Europe  that  a  mechanic  could  not  live  in 
America  unless  he  received  higher  wages  than  those 
received  in  Europe.  In  fact,  he  had  very  little  oppor- 
tunity to  save  even  with  the  higher  wages  paid." 

"  By  whom  was  cloth  and  other  things  which  the 
mechanics  were  obliged  to  use,  manufactured?"  again 
broke  in  Jack. 

The  lawyer  chuckled  in  silent  glee,  and  replied  : 

"  In  looking  over  the  family  papers  I  found,  Mr. 
Jack,  that  your  great-grandfather  owned  a  great  main- 
tenement  houses,  much  factory  stock,  bank  stock.  I 
expect  he  was  paid  a  good  part  of  the  wages  received 
by  mechanics,  in  his  life  time." 

The  Rev.  Jack  Lawton  had  finished  his  breakfast. 
He  arose,  with  an  indignant  flush  mantling  his  manly 
face,  bending  not  toward  the  lawyer,  but  looking 
straight  into  his  father's  cold  blue  eyes,  he  said : 

"  Now   you   see,  sir,  how   even   the  advocate  of  the 


24  "  unxle  sam's"  cabins. 

'  Bonds  of  Servitude  '  for  your  tenants,  admits  the  trick 
by  which  our  family  and  others  in  our  position  became 
rich.  Our  ancestors  deceived  the  farmers  years  ago, 
telling  them  that  by  buying  goods  in  America  and 
paying  higher  prices  than  similar  goods  cost  in  the 
markets  wherein  their  produce  was  sold,  resulted  in 
high  wages  to  their  fellow-countrymen,  the  mechanics. 
Thus  they  made  the  agriculturalists  poorer,  year  after 
year,  deluding  them  by  the  higher  wages  paid  me- 
chanics, while  gathering  in  the  wages  of  the  same 
mechanics  whom,  they  posed  as  benefitting  in  the 
form  of  rents  and  profits  upon  every  necessity  of  life." 

The  very  meanness  of  the  trick  is  disgusting  and 
repugnant,  for  it  was  played  through  the  one  weak 
spot  in  the  armor  of  the  American  character — patriot- 
ism. I,  sir,  am  sure,  that  the  accumulated  wealth 
resulting  from  the  first  ill-gotten  gains  of  a  trick  would 
not  be  sacred  in  my  hands,  the  Lawton  estate  would 
soon  disappear." 

For  the  first  time  during  the  morning  meal,  Henry 
Lawton,  with  the  contempt  which  he  felt  for  the 
sentiments  expressed  by  his  brother  but  half  concealed, 
said  : 

"  My  dear  Jack,  it  is  well  for  you  that  your  profes- 
sion raises  you  above  suspicion,  else  one  would  guess 
you  were  bewitched  by  your  beautiful  pauper  friend, 
the  fair  Hollister." 

The  hot,  quick  temper,  which,  at  Yale,  had  made 
Jack  Lawton,  one  not  to  quietly  submit  to  being 
slugged,  either  on  the  foot-ball  field,  or  insulted  with 
impunity  anywhere  else,  flamed  out  as  he  leaned  one 
brawny  hand  upon  the  table,  and  exclaimed  : 

"  Here,  Henry,  leave  Mary  Hollister's  name  alone, 


"  UNCLE   SAM'S  "   CABINS.  2% 

or  as  I  am  a  living  man,  and  you  say  one  word  unwor- 
thy of  being  spoken  in  connection  with  the  name  of 
that  good  girl,  clergyman  and  your  brother  though  I 
be,  I  will  hurl  you  through  that  window  !  "  and  at  the 
smile  of  malice  which  his  heated  words  brought  to  his 
brother's  face  he  added  : 

"  You  know  how  to  annoy  me  and  arouse  a  temper 
of  which  I  am  ashamed  ! — Never  having  had  a  mother's 
love  or  care  my  only  kind  friends  in  babyhood  or  boy- 
hood, outside  of  this  dark  and  gloomy  house,  were  the 
poor  tenants  of  the  estate  ; — and  that  I  esteem  the  Hoi 
listers  more  than  any  other  family  because  they  possess 
education  and  refinement,  which  the  hard  lot  of  the 
tenantry  has  crushed  out  of  all  the  others." 

With  which  speech,  Jack  Lawton  turned  and  opened 
the  door,  but  Henry  did  not  intend  that  he  should 
leave  the  field  without  firing  one  last  shot  at  him,  so 
he  called  to  him  : 

"  Hold  on,  old  man  !  when  the  tenants  sign  the 
bonds  I  will  gladly  resign  all  my  interest  in  the  Hol- 
listergirl  to  you — you  doubtless  will  prove  a  better 
master." 

The  departing  man  slammed  the  door,  without  re- 
plying to  the  taunt  of  his  brother. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

In  the  year  1862,  or  just  one  hundred  and  thirty-two 
years  before  the  date  of  the  events  narrated  in  the 
former  chapters — one  Charles  Lawton  kept  a  little 
cheap  restaurant  near  the  depot  in  Philadelphia,  at 
which  the  soldiers  from  the  North  and  West 
proceeding  to  the  scene  of  the  war  then  going 
on  between  the  Southern  States  and  the  balance  of 
the  Union,  changed  cars.  He  had  dragged  out  a  pre- 
carious existence  in  this,  (until  the  War,)  undesirable 
business,  having  a  constant  struggle  with  the  necessity 
of  paying  rent  and  obtaining  enough  money  to  satisfy 
his  butcher  and  baker.  But  as  soon  as  the  thousands 
en  route  for  the  "  front,"  and  the  sick  and  wounded 
from  the  fields  of  battle,  returning  home,  began  to 
stop  at  the  nearby  station  while  waiting  to  change  cars, 
his  prospects  brightened  and  dollars  commenced  to 
accumulate  in  his  till  as  the  hungry  soldiers  flocked 
into,  his  once  almost  unknown  restaurant. 

Charles  Lawton  lacked  neither  courage  nor  patriot- 
ism. He  had  ever  the  desire  to  enlist  in  the  army  and 
join  the  Southward-moving  soldiers,  but  Nature 
had  been  unkind  to  him,  inasmuch  as  from  infancy,  he 


"  UNCLE    SAM'S        CABINS.  2/ 

had  been  crippled  in  his  lower  limbs  and  by  that  mis- 
fortune or  chance,  he  was  obliged  to  remain  at  home. 
Being  deprived  by  his  infirmities  from  participating  in 
the  pleasures  of  dissipation  or  protected  by  the  same 
reason  from  all  temptation  to  indulge  therein,  during 
a  time  of  war  and  extravagance,  (money  being  easy  to 
make,)  he  did,  as  many  others,  make  a  great  deal  of 
money,  and  in  the  very  nature  of  things,  he  did,  what 
many  others  did  not  do,  saved  it — Soon,  he  was  en- 
abled to  purchase  the  small  building,  for  the  use  of 
which,  he  had  so  long  been  obliged  to  pay  rent — 
Shortly  after  his  purchase,  a  railroad  company  needing 
more  room  to  accommodate  its  largely  increased  busi- 
ness, resulting  from  the  war,  purchased  the  property 
recently  acquired  by  him,  at  a  large  advance  upon  the 
price  he  had  paid,  for  the  purpose  of  erecting  addi- 
tional freight  warehouses. 

At  the  time  of  the  sale  of  his  old  restaurant,  Charles 
Lawton's  family  consisted  of  his  wife,  one  son  a  lad  of 
sixteen,  and  himself. 

The  necessity  to  furnish  a  sufficient  revenue  for  the 
expenses  of  the  Federal  Government  in  carrying  on  the 
war  then  waging,  was  so  great  that  it  became  impera- 
tive to  place  large  import  duties  or  taxes  upon  all 
manufactured  articles,  and  most  raw  materials  brought 
from  Europe. 

Inasmuch  as  the  farmers  had  a  steady  demand  for 
all  of  their  products,  at  good  prices — the  result  of  the 
large  armies  in  the  field — they  did  not,  of  course,  resist 
the  imposition  of  the  taxes,  but  aided  the  passage  of 
laws  to  that  effect  by  their  votes — and  also  from  the 
fact  that  the  farmer  folk  of  America  have  ever  been 
especially   patriotic,  having   quickly  responded  to  the 


28  "UNCLE    SAM'S  "     CABINS. 

call  of  the  Government,   for  soldiers,  enlisting  them- 
selves and  sons. 

The  result,  of  course,  of  the  almost  entire  exclusion 
of  European  goods  from  the  American  market,  was 
to  greatly  increase  the  price  of  all  manufactured  goods 
in  America,  and  consequently,  largely  increase  the 
profits  of  those  engaged  in  the  manufacturing  busi- 
ness in  this  country.  The  farmers  did  not  complain  of 
the  increased  price  of  their  manufactured  supplies,  be- 
cause the  war  was  giving  an  artificial  stimulant  to  the 
prices  of  their  farm-products. 

Such  was  the  state  of  affairs  at  the  time  Charles  Law- 
ton  sold  his  restaurant.  The  cash  obtained  from 
the  advantageous  sale  to  the  railroad  company,  to- 
gether with  his  savings  from  the  sale  of  food  to  the 
hungry  soldiers,  gave  him  control  of  quite  a  sum  of 
ready  money. 

In  looking  for  an  investment,  where  but  little 
physical  activity  would  be  required  of  him,  he  found 
an  opportunity  to  purchase  the  interest  of  one  part- 
ner in  a  thread  factory.  The  interest  offered  had  been 
that  of  a  partner,  who  being  more  patriotic  than  pru- 
dent, had  risked  and  lost  his  life  while  fighting  to 
preserve  the  Union.  Charles  Lawton,  anxious  to  ob- 
tain some  revenue  from  the  money  then  lying  idle  in 
bank,  gladly  availed  himself  of  the  opportunity  and 
purchased  the  interest  in  the  factory,  from  the  widow 
of  the  dead  soldier. 

Thread,  being  indispensable  and  used  by  every  man, 
woman  and  child  in  the  land,  practically,  European 
competition  being  cut  off  by  the  importation  taxes,  a 
monopoly  was  obtained  by  the  American  thread  man- 
ufacturers  of  this,  one  of  the  most  universally  used 


"  UNCLE   SAM  S       CABINS.  29 

articles.  By  combinations,  afterwards  called  Trusts, 
the  prices  were  fixed  by  and  between  the  American 
manufacturers,  this,  of  course,  the  whole  people  had 
to  pay.  The  prices  so  fixed  however,  while  suf- 
ficiently low  to  prevent  any  European  thread  man- 
ufacturers from  sending  thread  to  America  and  paying 
the  high  taxes  on  it,  were  also,  so  high  as  to  obtain 
from  the  American  consumers  an  enormous  profit, 
which,  went  into  the  coffers  of  the  American  thread 
combination. 

Charles  Lawton  from  the  money  invested  by  him  in 
the  thread  business,  gained  a  large  income,  more  in  fact 
than  he,  with  his  humble  tastes  and  small  family,  could 
spend.  He  invested  the  surplus  in  land  near  the  fac- 
tory in  which  he  was  one  of  the  owners,  and  built  small 
houses  for  the  mechanics  who  worked  in  the  factory, 
to  rent.  The  rents  being  high  because  wages  were 
high,  Lawton  as  the  years  went  by,  bought  other  land 
out  of  his  surplus  income — which  was  derived  not  only 
from  the  manufacture  of  thread — but  also  from  taking 
back,  a  large  part  of  the  high  wages  paid  to  the  work- 
men engaged  in  the  factory,  in  the  shape  of  rents.  He 
erected  many  tenement  houses  in  the  city  of  Philadel- 
phia, which  he  rented  to  mechanics,  artisans  and  labor- 
ers, thus  year  by  year,  adding  to  the  number  of  those 
who  paid  tribute  to  him. 

When  Charles  Lawton  died  a  few  years  after  the 
close  of  the  Civil  War,  his  son  Thomas,  (then  a  man  of 
twenty-five,)  inherited  nearly  a  million  dollars,  invested 
in  factory  stock,  land  and  houses.  Within  a  short 
time  after  the  death  of  his  father,  Thomas  married  the 
only  daughter  and  child  of  his  late  father's  partner  in 
the    thread    business.     By   this    marriage,    upon    the 


30  "  UNCLE   SAM  S       CABINS. 

death  of  his  wife's  parents,  another  million  was  added 
to  his  rapidly  increasing  fortune. 

It  was  this  ancestor  of  the  Reverend  Jack  Lawton 
who  adopted  the  idea  of  a  family  agreement,  or  as  it 
was  called  afterward  "  The  Family  Compact  " — when 
it  became  generally  adopted  by  the  wealthy  American 
families — whereby,  the  laws  preventing  the  entailment 
of  property,  were  avoided,  by  an  agreement  between 
the  members  of  the  family  concerned,  that  the  eldest 
son  should  inherit  the  bulk  of  the  accumulations  of  the 
preceding  generations,  thus  hindering  the  distribution 
and  dissipation  of  the  enormous  fortunes  gathered 
during  and  shortly  after  the  Civil  War. 

Each  succeeding  generation  of  the  Lawtons  after 
the  said  Thomas,  adhering  strictly  to  the  traditions  of 
the  family,  had  continued  to  keep  the  now  perpetually 
growing  mass  of  property  and  money  concentrated  in 
the  hands  of  the  eldest  son  of  the  family  in  each  gen- 
eration— until  the  grandfather  of  the  present  head  of 
the  Lawton  family,  was  recognized  as  the  wealthiest 
man  in  America. 

He  had  followed  the  practice  of  his  ancestors  and 
by  lending  money  (through  land,  trust  and  insurance 
companies  of  which  he  was  a  large  stockholder) 
to  the  farmers  of  the  (then)  state  of  Ohio,  and  tak- 
ing mortgages  on  the  land,  until  at  last,  he  practically 
held  all  the  farming  land  of  the  state  of  Ohio  in  pawn. 

The  price  of  all  farm-products  now  constantly  de- 
clined to  such  an  extent  (as  new  fields  were 
opened  for  cultivation  in  other  countries  than  Amer- 
ica), and  the  farmers  received  such  small  returns  for 
their  crops  that  they  were  unable  to  pay  the  interest 
due,  on   the   money  borrowed   on   mortgages — or  the 


"UNCLE   SAM'S  "    CABINS.  3 1 

taxes  of  the  State.  The  final  outcome  of  this  condi- 
tion was  that  Jack  Lavvton,  Sr.  inherited  almost  the 
entire  state  of  Ohio  by  reason  of  the  foreclosure  of 
these  mortgages,  by  his  grandfather.  Ever  after  this 
time  the  farms  had  been  rented  to  the  former  owners  of 
the  land  which  was  now  the  property  of  the  Lawton 
estate. 

During  the  lifetime  of  the  present  owner's  father, 
the  great  landlords  had  been  so  much  annoyed  by  the 
conflict  between  state  and  Federal  authority,  that,  by 
the  use  of  their  enormous  wealth  and  patronage,  they 
had  been  enabled  to  have  laws  enacted,  abolishing  all 
state  governments,  and  concentrating  all  power  in  the 

Federal  government having  the  largest    landowner 

appointed  as  executive  of  the  Federal  government  in 
each  district,  which,  corresponded  with  the  territory 
of  the  former  state — the  executive  of  each  district 
having  the  title  of  Proprietor. 

These  proprietors  being  also  the  owners  of  the  fac- 
tories, continued  the  old  laws  in  force,  taxing  all  man- 
ufactured articles  imported  from  other  countries,  thus 
deriving  all  the  profit  possible  out  of  the  tenants  of  the 
land — until  at  the  period  of  this  story,  the  farm-class 
had  become  so  absolutely  impoverished  that  they  could 
no  longer  even  pay  the    rent  of  the  land  they  planted. 

It  was  then  that  the  "  Bonds  of  Servitude  "  were  in- 
troduced, whereby  in  return  for  the  opportunity  to 
merely  exist  by  laboring  upon  the  land  formerly  owned 
by  them,  the  farmers  bound  themselves  and  their  de- 
scendants as  serfs  to  the  soil  and  passed  as  any  other 
chattel  with  the  land,  to  each  succeeding  heir  of  the 
great  landed  gentry. 

These  "  Bonds  of  Servitude  "  had  been    so  eenerallv 


32  "  UNCLE   SAM'S  "    CABINS. 

entered  into  by  the  tenantry  of  America,  that,  in  the 
year  of  which  this  narrative  is  given,  there  was  not  a 
freeman  tilling  the  soil  in  the  whole  country  except  in 
the  district  of  Ohio — where,  by  the  exercise  of  almost 
superhuman  exertions  and  self  privations,  the  tenants 
had  struggled,  and  succeeded  in  paying  their  rents,  until 
within  the  last  two  years,  when  the  great  central  table 
land  of  Central  Africa  had  been  placed  under  cultiva- 
tion by  the  British  government.  This  new  field  pro- 
duced grain  so  cheaply  that  at  last,  the  few  remaining 
American  farmers  were  confronted  with  no  other  al- 
ternative but  slavery  or  starvation. 

John  Lawton,  the  Proprietor  of  the  district,  had 
while  still  a  very  young  man,  come  into  possession  of 
the  vast  Lawton  Estate,  by  the  death  of  his  father. 
The  young  ruler  of  the  District,  had  been  most  care- 
fully educated  and  his  mind  most  thoroughly  impreg- 
nated with  the  traditions  and  theories  of  his  forefathers 
and  absolutely  made  impervious  to  the  teachings  of  the 
lectures  on  Political  Economy,  delivered  before  him, 
at  the  university  where  he  was  graduated. 

His  faith  in  the  "American  system  "  of  the  exclus- 
ion of  imported  goods,  was  as  absolute  and  firm  as  that 
of  the  Chinese,  two  hundred  years  before.  He  knew 
by  that  system,  his  ancestors  had  amassed  the  immense 
wealth  which  now  was  his,  and  heedless  of  the  increas- 
ing poverty  of  the  larger  part  of  the  population,  he 
clung  with  unshakable  hold  to  the  faith  of  his  fore- 
fathers. 

While  still  a  boy,  his  father  had  arranged  a  marriage 
for  him,  (which  duly  took  place  when  he  became  of 
age,)  with  the  daughter  and  heiress  of  the  "  Sugar 
King"  (as  the  people  called  the  great   man)  who    con- 


"UNCLE   SAM'S  "    CABINS.  33 

trolled  the  manufacture  of  refined  sugar  in  America, 
from  which  source  he  had  accumulated  an  immense 
fortune.  At  one  time,  sugar  had  been  considered  one 
of  the  necessaries  of  life,  by  the  Americans. 

Of  this  marriage  was  born  Henry  Lawton,  the  heir 
apparent  to  the  Lawton  estate,  and  the  Rev.  "  Jack" 
Lawton.  A  difference  of  ten  years  in  the  ages  of  the 
brothers,  had  been  the  cause  of  their  being  almost 
strangers  to  each  other.  While  Jack  was  still  in  frocks, 
Henry  had  been  sent  away  to  college  and  as  the  heir 
and  future  proprietor,  his  father  had  taken  great  care 
of  this  son's  association  and  instruction  so  that  the  prin- 
ciples of  the  "American  system  "  should  be  persist- 
ently instilled  into  the  mind  of  the  elder  son,  and  that 
his  character  should  be  formed  upon  the  model  of  the 
past  generations  of  the  Lawtons  so  eminently  suc- 
cessful in  building  up  the  family  fortune. 

Jack,  being  only  a  younger  son,  was  permitted 
much  greater  liberty,  or  rather,  was  more  carelessly 
trained  and  educated,  the  more  so  by  reason  of  the 
fact  that  the  mother  of  the  two  sons  had  died  soon 
after  the  birth  of  Jack,  which  had  caused  the  break- 
ing up  of  the  home  life  of  the  Lawton  family.  Young 
Jack  being  left  to  the  care  of  a  nurse  and  the  servants 
at  the  Lawton  mansion  in  the  country,  while  his  father 
made  his  home  at  his  club  in  New  York. 

From  his  mother,  the  daughter  of  the  great  "  Sugar 
King,"  Jack  inherited,  together  with  his  magnificent  phy- 
sique and  handsome  dark  face — a  courageous,  frank, 
Christian  spirit — Jack's  mother  had  been  a  perfect  angel 
of  mercy  to  the  poor  peasantry  of  the  Lawton  Estate 
— as  far  as  possible,  fearlessly  defending  them  from 
each  new  encroachment  upon  their  liberties  and  rights. 


34  "UNCLE   SAM'S"   CABINS. 

Unlike  the  majority  of  the  women  of  her  class,  she 
remained  unspoiled  by  wealth,  presenting  a  grand  type 
of  the  independence  and  intelligence  of  American  wo- 
manhood. 

The  Hollister  family  had  been  always  especially  an 
object  of  sympathy  to  her.  The  fathers  of  both  Hol- 
lister and  his  wife,  had  been  among  the  last  farmers  of 
the  district  of  Ohio,  forced  by  resistless  fate,  to  sur- 
render the  ownership  of  the  lands  occupied  by  them, 
and  become  tenants  of  the  proprietor. 

This  fact  accounted  for  the  superior  education  ob- 
tained by  the  parents  of  Mary  Hollister,  and  the  linger- 
ing evidences  of  refinement  in  the  lives  of  the  now 
impoverished  family  ;  however,  in  the  same  proportion 
as  it  aroused  the  interest  and  sympathy  of  Mrs.  Law- 
ton,  in  like  manner  did  it  make  their  lot  in  life  harder 
to  bear. 

George  Hollister' s  father  (the  grandfather  of  Mary 
Hollister)  had  owned  and  cultivated  five  hundred  acres 
of  the  land  now  the  property  of  the  Lawton  Estate, 
which  had  been  secured  to  it  by  means  of  the  mort- 
gages placed  upon  it  years  before.  The  remembrance 
of  that  fact  had  embittered  the  life  of  Mary's  father, 
who  was  forced  to  work  as  a  tenant  of  the  Lawtons, 
being  a  man  of  strong  prejudices  and  unreasoning  tem- 
per, he  had  always  associated  the  loss  of  the  land  with 
some  unknown  act  of  injustice  upon  the  part  of  the 
Lawtons. 

This  ceaseless  inward  volcano  of  temper  and  anger 
had  so  worn  upon  the  man,  together  with  the  hard  la- 
bor necessary  in  his  struggle  to  pay  rent,  that  shortly 
after  the  birth  of  Mary,  his  youngest  child,  his  health 
began  to  give  way  and  it  only  required  the  proposed 
introduction  of  the  "Bonds  of  Servitude,"  like  the  last 


"  UNCLE   SAM'S  "   CABINS.  35 

straw  upon  the  camel's  back,  to  finally  break  the  heart 
as  well  as  the  health  of  the  proud-spirited  tenant, 
bringing  him  to  his  grave. 

Jack's  mother,  not  being  a  Lawton  by  birth,  had  not 
shared  the  measure  of  resentment  poured  out  by  Hol- 
lister's  bitter  spirit  upon  that  family.  She  had  not 
patronized  in  the  character  of  "  Lady  Bountiful  "  the 
Hollister  family,  but  as  one  young  mother  had  met 
Hollister's  wife  as  simply  meeting  another — while  deli- 
cacy forbade  open  charity,  still,  during  the  lifetime  of 
Mrs.  Lawton,  many  comforts  and  pleasures  came  to 
the  Hollister  family,  which  shed  a  ray  of  light  into  the 
lives  of  the  unfortunate  people. 

By  means  of  the  books  obtained  from  this  source, 
Mary's  mother  had  been  enabled  to  give  to  her  children 
something  of  an  education.  In  fact,  the  constant  aim 
and  object  of  the  life  of  Mrs.  Hollister,  even  after  the 
death  of  her  husband,  and  while  struggling  alone 
against  want  and  poverty,  was  to  prevent  her  children 
becoming  ignorant  and  degraded. 

Upon  the  death  of  Mrs.  Lawton  and  the  breaking 
up  of  the  family  at  the  Lawton  mansion,  the  lonely, 
little,  motherless  boy  left  to  the  care  of  the  servants  in 
the  cheerless  great  house,  appealed  strongly  to  the 
motherly  heart  of  Mrs.  Hollister,  particularly,  as  the 
child  in  his  face  and  character,  recalled  his  mother,  to 
whom  Mary's  mother  was  indebted  for  all  that  had 
made  her  miserable  existence  bearable.  Consequently, 
the  servants,  only  too  willing  to  be  rid  of  the  care  and 
responsibility  of  the  little  fellow,  gladly  acquiesced 
in  an  arrangement  by  which  Jack  spent  most  of  his 
time  in  the  cottage  of  the  tenant  Hollister.  Here 
with  Hollister's  son,  George,  only  two  years  older  than 


$6  '•  UNCLE    SAM'S  "    CABINS. 

himself,  Jack  found  all  the  happiness  of  his  babyhood 
and  early  boyhood. 

When  Mary  was  born,  she  became  the  object  of  in- 
tense interest  to  these  two  little  chaps,  respectively  five 
and  seven  years  of  age.  When  she  was  old  enough  to  be 
trusted  out  of  her  mother's  arms,  the  boys  would  battle 
for  the  honor  of  being  her  nurse.  Jack  was  only  too 
happy  to  be  permitted  to  lug  the  baby  about  in  his 
arms, — or  to  act  the  part  of  horse  in  the  little  home- 
made wagon  and  trot  about  the  fields  dragging  the 
crude  baby  carriage,— George  driving,  with  unstinted 
lashes,  the  son  of  his  father's  landlord. 

Thus  these  children  one — the  son  of  the  proprietor — 
the  others,  the  children  of  the  tenant,  had  grown  to' be 
almost  one  family,  until,  at  the  age  of  ten  years,  Jack 
was  sent  to  a  boarding-school  in  the  city.  All  of  Jack's 
vacations,  however,  were  spent  at  the  family  mansion 
in  the  country,  and  the  girl  and  boys  grew  up,  continu- 
ing the  old  association,  until  Jack,  at  the  age  of  six- 
teen, had  been  sent  to  the  University,  where  he  re- 
mained for  four  years,  his  father,  during  his  vacations, 
sending  the  youth  to  travel  in  Europe  with  a  tutor. 


CHAPTER  V. 

UNTIL  Jack  Lawton  was  ten  years  of  age,  he  had 
been  almost  forgotten  by  his  father  who  only  saw  the 
boy  during  the  hunting  season,  when  he  came  down 
into  the  District  bringing  a  lot  of  men  of  his  Club  set, 
to  hunt.  When  Jack  was  only  a  boy  of  eight,  and  had 
to  be  lifted  up  on  his  horse,  he  could  ride  with  the  bold- 
est and  best  horsemen  of  the  hunting  parties.  He 
knew  every  fence  and  ditch,  and  was  up  in  the  front 
rank  of  the  riders — "At  the  Death." 

George  Hollister  and  he  had,  with  their  first  trousers, 
imbibed  a  love  for  the  chase  and  hunt,  which,  had  led 
them  as  almost  babies  into  every  hole  and  hollow  of 
the  surrounding  country. 

After  an  exciting  day  of  sport,  one  of  the  Proprie- 
tor's friends,  when  Jack  was  eight  years  of  age,  sug- 
gested to  the  boy's  father,  the  fact,  that  such  a  sturdy, 
fearless  fellow  should  not  be  left  entirely  to  the  care  of 
women  to  be  educated,  whereupon,  a  young  man  who 
had  been  educated  by  charity  at  one  of  the  Universi- 
ties, was  sent  down  to  the  country  house  of  the  Law- 
tons,  to  instruct  the  neglected  child,  so  that  when  Jack 
was  ten  years  of  age,  his  father  concluded  that  he  was 


38  "Uncle  sam's"  cabins. 

far  enough  advanced  to  be  sent  to  a  boarding- 
school. 

The  young  man  who  had  been  Jack's  teacher  during 
the  two  years  prior  to  his  father's  suggestion  that  it  was 
time  to  send  him  to  a  boarding-school,  had  utilized  all 
his  leisure  hours  while  at  the  Lawton  home,  in  fitting 
himself  for  the  profession  chosen  by  him — the  minis- 
try. From  this  teacher,  and  in  the  home  of  the  Hollis- 
ters,  where  the  only  hope  of  the  heart  was  in  the  love 
and  mercy  of  Christ,  (the  earth  and  present  being  so 
dark  and  desolate  to  the  poor  tenantry  of  America,) 
Jack  had  the  latent  and  inherited  truths  of  Christianity 
derived  from  his  good  mother,  so  developed,  that  when 
as  a  lad  of  ten  years,  he  came  to  the  boarding-school, 
in  his  sturdy  breast  and  frank  fearless  heart,  he 
carried  the  spirit  of  a  Crusader,  ever  ready  to  break 
lance  for  right,  justice,  and  for  the  sake  of  his  dear 
Christ. 

The  boy  soon  won  the  respect  of  his  fellow  scholars, 
both  by  reason  of  his  leadership  in  all  games  requiring 
the  exercise  of  skill  and  strength,  and  by  the  frank  and 
honest  heart  of  the  chap  who  not  ashamed  to  kneel 
down  and  pray  at  bedtime  surrounded  by  a  ring  of 
jeering  companions,  did  not  hesitate  to  rise  from  his 
knees,  select  the  largest  and  strongest  of  his  tormentors, 
and  assail  him  with  blazing  eye  and  vigorous  blows,  as 
earnestly  and  fearlessly  as  Richard  Coeur  de  Lion  ever 
entered  battle  with  the  Saracens. 

"  Jack  Lawton's  Principles,"  as  the  boys  at  the  board- 
ing-school got  into  the  habit  of  calling  honesty,  frank- 
ness and  Christianity,  became  soon  well  understood  and 
respected,  for  Jack  had  a  warrior's  soul  in  his  bosom, — 
the  natural  combativeness  of  his  character  found  vent 
like  that  of  the  followers  of  Peter  the    Hermit,  or    the 


"  UNCLE   SAM  S       CABINS.  39 

soldiers  of  Cromwell,  in  a  desire  to  fight  the  battles  of 
the  Cross. 

During  the  time  spent  at  boarding-school,  Jack  re- 
turned every  vacation  to  the  Lawton  mansion  in  the 
district  of  Ohio.  His  first  thoughts  were  of  his  old 
playmates,  George  and  "  Mollie  "  Hollister  with  whom 
he  spent  his  holidays,  romping  and  rambling  over  the 
hills  and  through  the  woods  of  Ohio.  Upon  these 
happy  occasions  all  idea  of  the  difference  in  their 
stations  in  life,  landlord  and  tenant,  was  absent  from 
the  minds  of  the  children. 

However,  when  Jack  arrived  at  the  age  of  sixteen  he 
was  sent  to  Yale  College, and  these  joyous  periods  of 
reunion  ceased,  as  his  father  insisted  that  he  should 
travel  abroad  during  the  season  of  vacation — deeming 
it  unwise  to  allow  the  son  of  the  Proprietor  of  the  dis- 
trict to  form  too  strong  and  matured  an  attachment 
for  the  tenants  of  the  land. 

"  Jack  Lawton's  Principles"  became  at  Yale,  as  well 
known  and  highly  respected  as  at  the  boarding-school. 
While  he  was  a  member  of  the  football  eleven,  and 
pulled  an  oar  in  the  University  eight,  he  still  was  a 
hard  student.  When  he  was  graduated,  his  father  and 
elder  brother  suggested  his  entering  the  army,  the 
idea,  doubtless,  occurring  to  both  because  of  Jack's 
martial  figure  and  combative  disposition,  however, 
much  to  the  surprise  of  both,  Jack  rejected  the  offer  of 
a  commission  in  the  Federal  army,  with  absolute  scorn, 
saying  that  he  saw — "  nothing  tempting  in  a  career 
where  the  highest  duty  to  be  performed,  was  to  play 
the  part  of  constable  to  defend  the  property  of  the 
Proprietors,  or  to  charge  a  mob  of  unarmed  tenants 
driven  to  desperation   by  the    injustice  of  their  land- 


40  "UNCLE   SAM'S  "    CABINS. 

lords.  That  he  believed  more  lasting  laurels  awaited 
a  soldier  of  the  Cross  ;  the  field  was  large  and  notwith- 
standing the  defects  of  his  temper,  he  might  be  able  to 
render  some  service  to  his  brother  men  who  suffered 
from  the  crushing  effects  of  poverty  ;  that  therefore  he 
had  determined  to  study  theology  and  enter  the  minis- 
try." Consequently  he  went  to  England,  and  for  the 
next  succeeding  five  years  devoted  himself  to  preparing 
for  the  work,  he  had  chosen. 

At  the  time  our  story  opens,  Jack  Lawton  had  just 
been  ordained,  but  assigned  to  no  field  of  labor.  Three 
days  before  his  meeting  on  the  road  with  Mary  Hollis- 
ter,  he  had  returned  to  his  father's  house  in  the  dis- 
trict after  a  continuous  absence  of  nearly  nine  years — 
four  of  which,  had  been  spent  at  the  University  and 
five  at  a  theological  college  in  England. 

The  now,  Reverend  Jack  Lawton  upon  his  arrival  at 
the  Lawton  homestead  hastened  to  see  his  old  friends, 
the  Hollisters.  The  horrible  change  in  the  lives  and 
surroundings  of  his  former  intimate  companions,  which 
the  past  nine  years  had  brought  to  them,  filled  him 
with  astonishment  and  overpowered  him  with  sorrow. 
The  widow  Hollister  and  her  young  son,  George  had 
been  unable  to  pay  the  rent  of  the  land  formerly  oc- 
cupied by  them,  and  they  had  been  obliged  to  move 
to  the  hovel  where  they  now  lived. 

The  former  home  was  at  present  the  residence  of 
Johnson,  the  superintendent  of  the  district.  Mrs. 
Hollister  had  become  an  aged,  broken,  despairing 
woman  ;  George,  her  son,  a  reckless,  desperate,  revenge- 
ful tenant ;  Mary,  time  had  developed  into  a  beautiful 
young  woman,  in  whom  misery  had  crushed  out  all  joy 
and  mirthfulness ;  he  found  her  only  as  a  moving  mar- 


"UNCLE    SAMS'     CABINS.  41 

ble  statue  bearing  some  outward  likeness  to  his  friend 
of  childhood. 

Jack  Lawton  had  been  surprised  to  learn  in  New 
York  when  he  arrived  from  England,  that  his  father 
and  brother  had  both  left  the  city  and  gone  to  the  dis- 
trict of  Ohio,  at  that  season — unaware  as  the  new 
comer  was  that  the  question  of  "  Bonds  of  Servitude  " 
was  then  agitating  the  Proprietor  and  tenants  of  the 
district  of  Ohio,  and  it  was  the  reason  that  had  taken 
his  father  and  brother  to  the  Lawton  mansion  house  in 
the  country,  at  this  time  of  the  year. 

On  the  first  night  of  his  stay  at  the  mansion,  after 
his  visit  to  the  Hollisters  and  his  learning  something 
of  the  deplorable  condition  of  the  tenants  on  the  es- 
tate, a  heated  argument  had  occurred  between  his  fa- 
ther and  brother  on  one  side,  and  Jack  on  the  other; 
the  next  day,  when  Weaving,  the  lawyer,  arrived  and 
Jack  was  first  informed  of  the  intention  of  his  father 
and  brother  to  force  the  tenants  to  enter  into  "  Bonds 
of  Servitude,"  his  indignation  knew  no  limit  and  led 
to  the  discussion  of  which  Jack  had  spoken  to  Mary 
Hollister  when  he  met  her  in  the  early  morning,  on 
the  road. 

Poor  Jack !  he  had  looked  forward  to  this,  his  home- 
coming, with  so  much  pleasure  for  such  a  long  time. 
The  only  spot  in  which  he  had  known  any  love  or  ten- 
derness in  his  motherless  life,  had  been  the  home  of 
the  Hollisters,  poor  fellow!  Jack  had  lost  sight  of  the 
fact  that  time  had  not  stood  still  during  his  absence. 
He  had  looked  forward  to  finding  the  same  boy  and 
girl  that  he  had  left,  the  same  affectionate  motherly 
reception  accorded  him  by  Mrs.  Hollister,  as  when  a  lad 
of  twelve  he  had  come  home  from  boarding-school.     In- 


42  "   UNCLE   SAM'S  *'   CABINS. 

stead,  he  found  two  despairing,  heart-broken,  silent 
women,  and  a  wild,  almost  insane  young  man.  For 
fully  forty-eight  hours,  Jack  Lawton  remained  so  com- 
pletely dazed  by  his  disappointment  and  horrible  sur- 
prise, that  he  had  even  forgotten  the  many  little  gifts 
he  had  gathered  in  Europe,  as  tokens  of  remembrance 
for  these  loving  friends  of  his  early  life. 

He  had  been  so  perplexed  by  the  unhappy  position 
in  which  he  found  the  Hollisters  and  so  anxious  to 
render  them  assistance  in  proportion  to  his  love  for 
them  all,  that  he  neglected  to  do  what  he  considered 
trifling. 

By  the  "  Family  Compact "  now  merged  into  a  law, 
the  younger  sons  were  entitled  to  no  share  in  the 
property  of  the  father — the  eldest  son,  by  a  system  of 
entailment,  being  the  sole  heir — thus  Jack  had  no  ex- 
pectation of  ever  receiving  any  part  of  the  Lawton  es- 
tate, unless  his  brother  died  without  sons,  and  was, 
therefore  entirely  dependent  upon  the  pension  allowed 
him  by  his  father. 

This    pension,    while    liberal    enough,   was    always 

promptly  gotten  rid  of  by  Jack  upon  its  receipt — for 

among  his  other  characteristics,  generosity  was  most 

conspicuous.     It    was    only    necessary    for    any    one 

in  want  to  make  that  fact  known,  and  the  last  dollar 

possessed  by  Jack  would  instantly  be  at  the  disposal 

of  him  who   needed   it ;   thus,  the  poor    fellow  found 

himself,  almost  helpless  in   this  hour  of  the  greatest 

need  in  the  lives  of  his  dearest  friends. 

****** 

When  Jack  left  the  breakfast-room,  after  the  taunt 
of  his  brother,  the  morning  of  the  discussion  with 
Weaving,  he  ascended  the  stairs  to  his  own  room,  and 


"UNCLE   SAMS       CABINS.  43 

opening  his  trunk,  spread  out  the  presents  intended 
for  his  friends,  but  when  he  gazed  on  them,  the  hollow 
mockery  of  sending  pictures,  books,  trinkets  and  such 
things  into  that  abode  of  wretchedness  and  hunger, 
struck  him  with  such  force  he  quickly  replaced  the 
pretty  things  in  his  trunk  and  sat  down  on  the  side  of 
the  bed,  his  head  resting  in  his  hands,  to  have  what, 
as  a  student,  he  used  to  call  a  "  square  think — " 

The  result  of  his  meditations  was  apparent  in  the 
large  hamper, — filled  with  all  kinds  of  groceries  and 
good  things,  packed  by  the  old  butler,  happy  to  do 
anything  to  please  one,  whom  he  and  all  the  old  ser- 
vants at  the  Lawton  mansion,  loved  almost  as  one  of 
their  own  children,- — which  was  placed  in  a  cart  to  be 
taken  to  the  Hollisters'  home  with  a  note,  saying — 

"Dear  Mollie  : 

"  I  have  made  up  my  mind  to  be  a  boy  again  for 
one  afternoon,  and,  as  in  the  days  when  we  went  gathering  ber- 
ries, each  fellow  brought  his  own  lunch,  so  now  I  insist  upon 
playing  boy  properly,  and  be  allowed  to  do  the  same  thing— only 
as  I  can't  come  until  late  this  afternoon,  I  am  obliged  to  send  it — I 
shall  be  on  hand  to  eat  it  with  the  same  hearty  appetite  as  when  I 
was  called 

"Friend  Jack." 


CHAPTER  VI. 

As  Jack  Lawton,  Mrs.  Hollister  and  Mary  sat  in  the 
twilight  waiting  for  George,  who  had  been  absent  since 
morning,  to  return  and  join  them  in  what  Jack  had 
written  of,  as  a  "  lunch,"  many  straggling  figures  were 
making  their  way  towards  the  large,  mud-beplastered 
farm  house  occupied  by  Robert  Rossmore,  which  stood 
in  a  ravine  or  hollow  near  the  bank  of  the  stream  which 
drained  this  section  of  the  country. 

The  house,  like  the  home  of  the  Hollisters,  was 
sheltered  by  no  tree,  surrounded  by  no  fence,  the  only 
out-building  being  a  sod-covered  chicken  house  at  the 
door  of  which  were  gathered  a  few  scraggy  fowls.  Still 
Rossmore's  house,  and  the  lands  he  held  with  it  as 
tenant  of  John  Lawton,  was  considered  the  most  desir- 
able of  any  upon  the  great  Lawton  estate. 

There  came  through  the  dusk  of  the  evening,  some- 
times two  or  three  together,  and  again,  singly,  the  Law- 
ton  tenants,  George  Hollister  among  the  others,  until 
the  large  room  of  which  the  entire  lower  story  of  the 
house  consisted,  held  nearly  sixty  men.  The  room  was 
lighted  only  by  the  flame  in  the  wide  fire-place  at  one 
end  of  it — unlike  the  usual  homes  of  the  farm-class  in 


"  UNCLE   SAM  S       CABIN'S.  45 

America,  the  room  had  a  floor  made  of  plank — patched 
and  worn,  it  is  true — but  white  from  constant  scrub- 
bing, which  covered  with  fine  sand,  presented  an  ap- 
pearance so  much  superior  to  the  earthen  floors  of  the 
ordinary  tenants,  as  to  seem  almost  luxurious. 

The  Rossmore  house  had  been  built  more  than  a 
hundred  years  before  the  time  of  which  this  story  is 
written.  At  a  time  when  the  land  upon  which  the 
house  stood  was  owned  by  its  occupant — that  more 
prosperous  period  for  the  farmers  was  evidenced  by  the 
material  used  in  the  construction  of  the  house. 

The  room  in  which  the  crowd  of  men  now  stood, 
had,  when  the  house  was  built,  been  divided  by  parti- 
tions into  a  hall  and  six  rooms,  as  the  marks  of  the  di- 
viding walls  still  indicated.  All  of  the  windows  which 
formerly  gave  light  and  air  to  the  lower  story  of  the 
house  had  been  boarded  over,  save  two  alone,  which 
still  retained  panes  of  glass — the  scarcity  and  costliness 
of  glass  was  doubtless  the  cause  for  closing  the  many 
other  windows  with  boards. 

At  one  side  of  the  room  was  a  dilapidated  stairway, 
without  railing,  by  which  means,  the  upper  story  of  the 
house  was  reached.  An  unusual  (in  the  homes  of  ten- 
ants) number  of  pieces  of  crude  furniture  were  scat- 
tered around  the  large  room. 

As  each  new  arrival  entered  the  door,  the  crowd 
made  a  place  for  him  in  silence — no  salutations  were 
exchanged — the  lack  of  even  the  clasp  of  a  friendly 
hand  made  the  gloomy  room  seem  absolutely  a  sepul- 
chre of  all  that  is  cheerful.  Patiently,  like  a  lot  of 
cattle,  the  men  waited  in  dumb  silence. 

Night  having  fallen,  and  all  at  last  who  were  ex- 
pected, having  arrived,  Rossmore,  the  tenant  of  the 
place,  arose  from  a  bench  in  a  dark    corner,  where  he 


4r>  "UNCLE   SAM'S "   CABINS. 

had  been  seated,  and  threw  an  armful  of  branches  of 
dry  wood  upon  the  flickering  fire.  As  the  light  from 
the  flames  made  the  features  of  the  congregated  ten- 
ants visible,  the  cause  of  the  patient  silence  of  the 
room  was  made  plain.  Hopelessness  and  despair  was 
stamped  by  the  ruthless  hand  of  poverty  and  misery, 
upon  every  face. 

Misfortune,  servitude  and  disgrace  are  ever  more 
keenly  felt  by  a  race  that  inherits  memories  of  a 
glorious  past,  and  within  which  is  the  inherited,  in- 
stinctive appreciation  of  all  that  is  refined,  ennobling 
and  glorious.  Like  the  ancient  Greeks  when  reduced 
by  Rome  to  a  position  of  servility,  the  American  farm- 
class  felt  still,  instinctively,  its  long  half-forgotten 
past  glories,  and  its  present  hopeless  humiliation  was 
the  more  terrible  to  bear. 

The  men  were  clothed  with  a  kind  of  rough  felt 
cloth,  dark  and  sombre  in  color,  divided  into  two  gar- 
ments, a  long  blouse  provided  with  a  sort  of  hood,  with 
which  they  protected  their  heads  from  rain  and  sun,  as 
none  of  them  wore  any  regular  head  covering  like  hats. 
Short  breeches  reached  just  below  the  knee,  the  lower 
leg  being  entirely  bare. 

Their  feet,  sockless,  were  thrust  into  roughly  made 
and  clumsy  wooden  shoes.  Their  long  untrimmed  hair 
and  beard,  together  with  the  uncouth  clothing  worn  by 
them,  gave  to  the  men  in  the  shifting  shadows  and 
unsteady  light,  an  aspect  of  a  certain  wildness.  Still, 
in  spite  of  the  mean  surroundings,  coarse  clothing,  un- 
kept  appearance,  misery  and  hopelessness,  the  faces 
bore  evidence  and  trace  of  the  race  of  freemen,  whence 
they  came,  painfully  recalling  the  picture  of  the  thor- 
oughbred Arab  steed  degraded  to  dragging  a  plow. 


"UNCLE   SAM'S  "   CABINS.  47 

An  old  man,  whose  white  hair  and  long  beard 
seemed  to  declare  him  the  patriarch  of  the  tenants  as- 
sembled in  the  room,  slowly  walked  to  the  place  by  the 
hearth  where  the  light  was  brightest,  that  all  might  see 
him,  and  standing  thus,  like  some  Druid  priest  of  old, 
addressed  the  assembled  men. 

"  You  ask  me  to  come  among  you  to-night  and 
advise  with  you  concerning  the  giving  of  '  Bonds  of 
Servitude,'  to  John  Lawton,  the  Proprietor  of  the 
District  of  Ohio.  My  countrymen,  that  you  may 
appreciate  the  wisdom  of  my  advice,  I  must  go  back 
more  than  a  century  in  the  history  of  our  country  and 
relate  the  causes  which  lead  me  to  the  conclusion  at 
which  I  have  arrived.  I  have  lived  nearly  ninety 
years,  and  in  the  long  life  God  has  given  me,  I  have 
experienced  few  joys  and  many  sorrows. 

"  I  have  seen  slowly,  but  surely,  the  glory  of  the 
departed  Great  Republic  fade  away.  Freedom  slowly 
but  irresistibly  vanish  from  our  land.  Tenants  of  one 
district  after  another  enter  into  '  Bonds  of  Servi- 
tude.' 

"Your  lone  fieht  against  fate  here  in  the  District 
of  Ohio  has  filled  my  heart  with  sorrow,  for  well  I 
knew  from  past  experience  that,  in  the  end,  with  grief 
and  an  increase  of  misery,  you  must  succumb  to  the 
inevitable  fate  of  all  the  American  tenantry. 

"  There  are  so  few  here  who  can  read,  even  if  books 
were  obtainable  (for  all  of  you  were  born  since  the 
abolition  of  the  public  schools)  that,  to  make  you  un- 
derstand the  condition  of  your  lot  in  life,  and  the  use- 
lessness  of  prolonging  the  struggle  against  destiny,  I 
shall  be  obliged  to  go  into  many  details  which  have  led 
to  the  present  condition  of  the  farm-class  in  America. 


48  "UNCLE   SAM'S "    CABINS. 

"  More  than  a  hundred  years  ago,  your  ancestors 
owned  the  soil  you  now  till  for  John  Lawton,  the  Pro- 
prietor. All  throughout  America  the  cultivator  owned 
the  land  he  farmed.  The  soil  was  new — exceedingly 
fruitful.  America  produced  immense  crops  of  wheat, 
cotton  and  corn — petroleum  flowed  from  thousands  of 
wells— the  whole  world  was  the  market  in  which  our 
forefathers  sold  the  surplus  produce.  With  improved 
machinery  for  farming,  and  virgin  soil  rich  beyond 
comparison,  the  Americans  outstripped  all  competitors. 

Large  crops.  Good  prices.  Abundance,  luxury, 
and,  alas!  carelessness,  thoughtlessness.  The  belief  in 
the  eternity  of  the  then  existing  flattering  conditions. 

The  farmers,  who  were  then  three-fifths  of  the 
population,  permitted,  yea,  even  helped  to  make 
laws  (for  the  farmer  class  voted  a  hundred  years  ago) 
whereby  they  obliged  themselves  to  buy  everything 
used  by  them  only  in  America,  restricting  themselves 
to  one  contracted  market  to  buy  in,  but  selling  in  the 
markets  of  the  universe." 

A  murmur  of  disapprobation  went  around  the  listen- 
ing tenants.  The  old  man  paused,  then  continuing, 
said  : 

"Nay,  do  not  murmur  and  curse  your  ancestors. 
They  were  beguiled  by  specious  and  sophistical  argu- 
ments. Being  so  happy,  prosperous  and  contented, 
they  would  not  investigate  and  learn  what  is  now  so 
plain  to  us  all. 

"  Year  after  year  the  farmers  would  send  their  sur- 
plus wheat,  cotton  and  corn  to  Europe  and  sell 
there,  but — could  not  buy  their  coats,  hats,  crockery, 
blankets,  or  anything  else,  in  that,  the  cheapest  mar- 
ket  for  manufactured   goods  in   the  world,  and  bring 


"  UNCLE   SAM'S  "    CABINS.  49 

the  goods  home  for  their  use,  without  paying  an  enor- 
mous tax  upon  landing  them  in  America — con- 
sequently, by  the  very  laws  which  they,  the  farmers, 
had  helped  to  make,  they  were  obliged  to  purchase  in 
America  where  the  manufacturers  charged  almost 
double  the  price  asked  for  manufactured  goods  in 
Europe. 

"  For  instance,  three  bushels  of  wheat  would  buy  a 
hat  in  England  where  the  farmers  sold  most  of  their 
surplus  crops,  but  when  the  same  hat  was  bought  by 
them  in  America  it  cost  five  bushels  of  wheat.  But  the 
farmers  were  compelled  to  forego  the  advantage  of 
buying  in  the  cheapest  place  to  buy  hats,  because 
after  giving  three  bushels  of  wheat  for  a  hat  in  Eng- 
land, they  would  be  taxed  another  three  bushels  of 
wheat  by  the  Government  upon  bringing  it  into  this 
country. 

"  Thus  though  the  five  bushels  of  wheat  charged  for  a 
hat  in  America,  was  entirely  too  much,  it  was  cheaper 
to  contribute  two  bushels  of  their  wheat  to  the  Ameri- 
can hat  manufacturer,  than  to  put  three  bushels  into 
the  treasury  of  the  Government. 

"You  see  by  these  strange  (and  as  we  see  in  the  light 
of  experience)  utterly  insane  laws,  the  farmers  abso- 
lutely robbed  themselves,  not  for  the  benefit  of  the 
Government,  but  to  enrich  the  manufacturers  and  con- 
centrate wealth  in  the  hands  of  a  few.  True,  the  other 
two-fifths  of  the  population,  the  mechanics  and  laborers, 
received  higher  wages  than  the  same  kind  of  workmen 
in  Europe  received,  and  they  also  were  deluded  by  the 
same  kind  of  specious  arguments  as  those  used  with 
the  farmers,  and  induced  to  continue  the  strange  laws 
in  force  by  their  votes. 


50  "UNCLE   SAM'S"   CABINS. 

Laborers  voted  also  in  America,  a  hundred  years 
ago.  But,  in  the  end,  it  has  proven  the  ruin  of  the 
mechanics  and  laborers  as  well  as  that  of  the  farmers. 

"  For  by  those  strange  laws  the  mechanics  and  laborers 
also  had  to  buy  their  blankets,  coats,  hats  and  all 
other  supplies  in  America.  They  also  were  obliged  to 
pay  rents  for  the  homes  in  which  they  lived.  The 
rents  paid  by  them  were  high,  in  proportion  to  the 
wages  received  by  them  ;  so  that,  while  apparently  the 
workingman  received  greater  compensation  in  America 
than  in  Europe  for  his  labor,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  he 
did  not,  for  it  was  only  a  loan  which  he  was  obliged  to 
repay  promptly  in  the  shape  of  large  profits  to  his 
employers  who  manufactured  the  goods  he  used,  and 
owned  the  house  in  which  he  lived. 

"  No  ;  your  forefathers  were  not  fools.  They  were 
led  to  believe  that  the  extra  two  bushels  of  wheat  went 
to  support  and  make  happy  and  prosperous  the  other 
two-fifths  of  their  countrymen — the  mechanics  and 
laborers — and  by  their  patriotism  and  love  of  country, 
they  were  ruined,  and  their  descendants  made  slaves. 

"  The  sacrifices  made  by  the  farmer  for  the  benefit 
of  his  fellow-countrymen  who  were  mechanics  and 
laborers,  when  he  voted  for  those  insane  laws,  were 
productive  of  no  permanent  beneficial  results  to  those 
for  whom  the  sacrifices  were  made.  Because  the 
additional  price  charged  in  America,  said  to  be  occa- 
sioned by  the  high  wages  paid  labor  in  this  country, 
as  a  matter  of  fact,  only  passed  through  the  hands  of 
the  laborer  to  find  its  way  back  at  last  to  the  owners 
of  factories  and  real  estate  in  the  manufacturing  cen- 
tres— leaving  no  permanent  benefit  with  the  two-fifths 
of  the  laboring  class, — thus  the  steady  drain  upon  the 


"UNCLE   SAM'S  "   CABINS.  5  I 

deluded  farmers  went  on  year  after  year,  its  continua- 
tion assisted  by  the  equally  deluded  mechanics  and 
laborers — the  farmers,  like  the  melting  snows  of  the 
mountains,  furnishing  the  water — the  mechanics,  like 
the  river,  carrying  the  water  in  a  constant  stream,  to 
its  final  repository,  where,  as  in  some  lake  or  reservoir, 
it  fell  into  the  coffers  of  owners  of  factories  and  real 
estate  in  manufacturing  localities. 

"After  many  years,  European  nations  becoming 
weary  of  buying  the  American  farmers' surplus  crops 
and  being  unable  to  sell  them  the  goods  manufactured 
in  Europe,  sought  and  found  new  lands,  where  wheat, 
cotton  and  corn  could  be  grown,  and  new  farmers  with 
whom  they  could  trade,  exchanging  the  goods  manu- 
factured in  Europe  for  the  wheat,  cotton  and  corn 
raised  by  the  new  farmers. 

"  European  governments  and  capitalists,  seeing  the 
prosperity  and  profit  enjoyed  by  the  American  farmers, 
began  competition  in  the  production  of  the  great 
staples  of  this  country. 

"  They  built  canals  in  Egypt  and  flooded  the  deserts 
of  North  Africa  with  the  waters  of  the  Nile,  in 
the  soil  thus  made  fruitful,  planted  wheat,  cotton 
and  corn.  They  built  railroads  into  the  heart  of  Cen- 
tral Africa,  utilizing  the  virgin  soil  of  that  great  conti- 
nent for  raising  products  to  compete  with  the  American 
farmers. 

The  Russian  serf  (for  that  he  is  in  fact  if  not  in  name) 
was  used  for  raising  wheat,  and  from  his  hovel,  with  his 
crust  of  black  bread  and  cup  of  vodka,  he  smiled  across 
an  ocean  at  the  farmers  of  this  country  living  in  luxury, 
knowing  as  the  Russian  did,  that  the  American  would 
be  brought  to  the  level  of  the  serf. 


52  "  UNCLE   SAM  S        CABINS. 

"  England,  the  foremost  trading  nation  of  the  world, 
poured  her  gold  into  South  America  until  the  Brazils 
and  Argentine  were  yellow  in  the  summer  sun  with 
wheat.  The  Empire  of  Great  Britain  was  urged  to  the 
utmost  capacity  of  its  vast  territory,  and  from  Mani- 
toba to  the  banks  of  the  Ganges,  wheat,  cotton  and 
corn  Ave  re  forced  to  grow. 

"  The  continent  of  Australia,  the  great  island  of  New 
Zealand,  all  joined  in  the  race  to  drag  the  American 
farmer  from  his  high  estate — oh,  my  children !  had 
wisdom  guided  our  ancestors  the  contest  never  had 
occurred." 

The  old  man  paused  and  bowed  his  head  as  if  the 
sorrow  of  the  coming  story  crushed  him  down. 

"NoAVAvasthe  beginning  of  the  end  of  American 
prosperity  and  independence,"  he  continued.  "  The 
European  markets  were  flooded  with  Avheat,  cotton  and 
corn — Russia  even  developed  her  vast  petroleum 
resources,  making  coal-oil  a  drug  in  the  markets  of  all 
the  world,  except  in  America.  Prices  of  all  farm  prod- 
ucts began  to  decline ; — Avheat,  one  dollar,  ninety, 
eighty,  seventy,  sixty,  fifty  cents  ; — cotton,  ten,  nine, 
eight,  seven,  six,  five  cents. 

"  You  ask  why?  Because  Europe  Avas  oversupplied. 
But  the  home  market,  you  suggest.  Then,  and  only 
then,  did  the  farmers  realize  that  the  prices  paid  by 
the  consumers  in  this  country,  Avere  made  in  Europe 
by  the  price  of  the  surplus. 

"  Europe  had  iioav  a  plentiful  supply  drawn  from 
Russia,  Asia,  Africa  and  South  America,  therefore  the 
prices  made  to  the  American  farmer  for  his  produce, 
were  made  by  the  European  buyers  and  depended  upon 
the  prices  they  were  obliged  to  pay  for  the  wheat,  cot- 


"UNCLE   SAMV    CABINS.  53 

ton  and  corn  produced  by  the  Russian  who  dwelt  in 
the  hovel  ;  the  Egyptian  slave  ;  the  East  Indian  who 
kept  body  and  soul  together  upon  one  cup  of  rice  a 
day ;  the  unclothed  African  ;  and  pauper  populated 
South  America — and  the  prices  so  made  in  Europe 
with  such  farmer  competition,  made  also  the  price  of 
produce  paid  by  the  home  consumer. 

"  The  farmers  in  America,  from  these  causes  receiving 
less  each  year  for  their  crops,  to  relieve  their  pressing 
need  for  money,  with  which  to  pay  taxes,  educate  their 
children  and  to  buy  manufactured  goods,  placed  mort- 
gages upon  their  lands,  thus  drawing  on  the  future  the 
draft  their  descendants  are  now  paying. 

"  Your  forefathers  in  the  then  hopeful  American  way 
expected  that  something  would  occur,  enabling  them 
to  pay  off  the  mortgages— a  war  in  Europe  perhaps  ;  a 
failure  of  the  crops  abroad  might  happen.  Science 
made  war  so  fatal  that  nations  became  peaceful  ; 
wheat,  cotton  and  corn  being  planted  in  every  section 
of  the  globe,  crops  everywhere  could  only  fail  at  the 
same  time  when  the  Almighty  decrees  the  death  of 
man  on  this  earth. 

"  Even  when  thus  brought  face  to  face  with  an  injury 
which  resulted  in  their  lack  of  money,  American  far- 
mers still  refused  to  recognize  their  inability  to  buy  the 
manufactured  goods  they  needed,  in  the  cheapest 
market,  as  the  injury.  They  followed  any  mirage  in 
the  political  desert,  but  absolutely  refused  to  believe 
that  the  waters  of  prosperity  were  just  beyond  the  wall 
that  they  themselves  had  built  around  the  country. 

"The  farmers  now  turned  to  that  small  part  of  the 
population  which  owned  and  operated  factories,  and 
owned  and  rented  real  estate— there  they  found  money 


54  "UNCLE   SAM'S  "    CABINS. 

in  plenty.  True,  in  many  instances,  the  name  of  the 
factory  and  real  estate  owner  had  been  changed — it 
was  now  Land  Company,  Trust  Company,  Insurance 
Company.  However,  the  rose  was  still  the  rose,  the 
odor  was  the  same.  The  farmers  had  found  the  reser- 
voir in  which  was  stored  the  money  of  the  country, 
which  like  the  waters  of  the  snow  from  the  mountains, 
they  had  furnished,  and  it  had  passed  by  way  of 
the  mechanics  and  laborers,  who,  as  a  channel,  had 
carried  and  deposited  it  in  the  coffers  of  the  manu- 
facturers and  landlords. 

"  Your  ancestors,  at  this  reservoir  of  cash,  by  giving 
mortgages,  the  interest  on  which  consumed  the  land  as 
will  the  lava  of  a  volcano,  obtained  money  to  carry 
them  over  until  times  were  better. 

"  Things  continued  to  get  worse,  never  better — what 
could  make  them  better? — but  the  farmers  would  not 
see  where  the  whole  trouble  came  from.  Just  kept  on 
hoping  for  a  miracle,  refusing  to  see  the  nearest  and 
easiest  remedy  which  was  before  their  very  eyes. 

"  The  torch  was  now  burning  at  both  ends  for  the 
people  in  America  of  all  classes.  The  farmers  received 
so  little  for  their  crops  that  it  was  a  struggle  for  them 
to  pay  their  taxes  and  interest  on  their  mortgages,  con- 
sequently they  bought  fewer  manufactured  goods  each 
year.  They  had  now  passed  the  stage  of  buying  in  the 
cheapest  market — they  had  no  money  with  which  to 
buy  anything,  anywhere,  at  any  price.  Their  pianos, 
carpets,  lace  curtains  wear  out — they  cannot  replace 
them  ;  their  stoves  wear  out — they  must  cook  in  the 
open  fireplace.  They  must  eat  and  live,  educate  their 
children  and  clothe  themselves  as  do  those  against 
whom,  they  are  obliged  to  compete  in  the  sale  of  wheat 


"uncle  sam's"  cabins.  55 

cotton  and  corn — Russian  serfs,  Egyptian  slaves, 
African  savages,  downtrodden  East  Indians  and  the 
pauper  labor  imported  into  South  America. 

"  The  mechanics  and  laborers  now  appreciate  that  all 
work  done  by  them  must  be  paid  for  by  the  American 
farmers,  because  they  alone  created  wealth  in  America — 
then  did  the  mechanics,  factory  hands  and  laborers  see 
that  by  the  strange  laws  taxing  everything — raw  mate- 
rials as  well  as  manufactured  goods,  and  paying  high 
rents — they  were  unable  to  manufacture  anything  in 
this  tax-bound  country  as  cheaply  as  the  mechanics, 
factory  hands  and  laborers  of  Europe — that  the  results 
of  their  labor  had  been  sold  almost  entirely  to  the 
farmers,  or  rather  the  farmers  paid  the  bill — that,  of 
the  millions  of  dollars  paid  by  Europe  to  America, 
very  few  dollars  were  paid  for,  anything  except  the 
farmers'  produce  and  petroleum. 

"  The  truth  of  the  statement  that  the  farmers  paid  the 
bills,  was  demonstrated  to  the  mechanics  and  laborers 
by  the  fact  that  now  as  the  farmers  had  no  money  to 
buy  manufactured  goods  at  any  price,  the  mechanics 
and  laborers  had  no  work,  no  money,  but  as  tramps 
and  vagrants  roamed  over  the  country. 

"  The  owners  of  factories  and  real  estate,  under  the 
name  of  Land,  Trust,  and  Insurance  companies,  hold- 
ing- the  mortgages  on  the  farmers'  land,  now  obtained 
all  the  water  of  the  melted  snow,  in  the  shape  of  inter- 
est, and  needed  no  such  channel  as  the  mechanics  and 
laborers  to  conduct  the  water  to  the  reservoir.  In  im- 
poverishing the  farmers,  to  obtain  high  wages,  which 
were  handed  over  by  them  to  the  real  estate  owners 
and  manufacturers,  the  mechanics  and  laborers  had 
killed  the  goose  that  laid  the  golden  egg. 


56  "UNCLE   SAM's"   CABINS. 

"  My  children,  it  is  useless  to  go  further  into  detail, 
the  thing  was  done  and  past.  The  farm-class  be- 
ing killed,  now  all  that  was  to  be  done  was  to  bury 
the  corpse.  Now,  events  hurry  so  fast,  one  upon 
another,  that  like  an  army  of  misfortune  they  seem  a 
ranked  host. 

"  The  mortgages  on  the  farmers'  land  became  due — 
of  course,  the  land  cannot  under  these  conditions  be  re- 
deemed by  the  farmers — they  are  now  poorer  than 
when  they  made  the  mortgages — foreclosures  occur. 
The  land  which  the  farmers  owned  passes  (through 
possibly,  the  circumlocution  of  a  Land,  Trust  or  Insur- 
ance company)  into  the  hands  of  the  manufacturers 
and  real  estate  owners,  who  now  become  landlords, 
and  the  farmer  who  formerly  owned  the  land  is  re- 
duced to  a  mere  tenant.  The  landlords  of  America 
spend  the  rents  received,  in  Europe,  as  the  English 
landlords  of  Ireland  spend  their  rents,  in  England. 

"Yes,  Rossmore,  attempts  were  made  to  stem  the 
oncoming  tide  of  wretchedness,  but  it  was  too  late, 
like  an  octopus,  certain  great  combinations  called 
Trusts,  enclosed  the  representatives  of  the  people  in 
their  terrible  arms  and  submerged  them  beneath  the 
surface  of  that  great  reservoir  of  dollars,  gathered 
from  the  farmers,  mechanics  and  laborers  of  the  whole 
country  for  years. 

"Thus  the  few  obstructed  the  will  of  the  impover- 
ished many,  because  the  many  waited  too  long,  until 
poverty  held  them  in  its  chilling  grasp. 

"After  some  years  a  law  was  enacted  that  only  those 
who  owned  real  estate  could  vote.  Then  laws  were 
passed  abolishing  the  public  schools.  Then  it  being 
easy,  laws  were  made  requiring  ever)-  voter  to  be  able 


"  Ux\tcle  sam's  "  cabins.  57 

to  read  and  write.  Free  and  independent  newspapers 
were  no  longer  published,  for  those  who  would  have 
liked  such  publications,  had  neither  money  to  buy 
them  nor  ability  to  read  them. 

"  All  State  governments  were  then  abolished,  the 
States  becoming  Districts  of  the  Federal  Government, 
in  which  all  power  was  concentrated  for  the  greater 
convenience  of  the  landlords,  now  called  Proprietors, — 
thus  vanished  the  old  and  dearly  loved  States  of  the 
Union. 

"  No  ;  there  was  no  rebellion,  no  revolution.  The 
Americans  had  such  love  for  law,  order  and  form — 
such  horror  of  mob-law,  Anarchy,  Socialism — that  they 
preferred  to  endure  the  ills  they  had  than  to  fly  to  others 
the)7  knew  not  of.  Besides,  at  the  time  these  ills 
became  so  apparent,  certain  bad  men  called  Anarchists, 
had,  by  their  cruelty  and  lawlessness,  made  abhorrent 
to  even  the  mind  of  the  humblest  American,  a  resort 
to  any  extraordinary  measures.  At  any  attempt  to 
right  existing  wrongs,  it  was  only  necessary  for  the 
landlords  to  raise  the  cry  of  '  Anarchy,'  and  '  Social- 
ism ' — and  like  frightened  sheep,  the  farmer-class  would 
scamper  away  from  attempted  reformation.  Every- 
man bold  enough  in  those  days  to  speak  for  justice, 
was  dubbed  a  '  Demagogue.' 

"  The  farmer-class  nowhere  held  the  land  except  as 
tenants  of  wealthy  individuals,  or  trust  companies 
controlled  by  wealthy  individuals — to  pay  the  rent  of 
the  land  (the  prices  of  all  farm  products  ever  declining) 
became  yearly  more  difficult — the  tenants  ceased  to  ed- 
ucate their  children,  one  by  one  all  the  luxuries  disap- 
peared from  their  homes,  then  the  comforts  of  life 
passed    away,  and    at    last,   the  very  necessities  were 


53  "  UNCLE   SAM'S  "    CABINS. 

reduced  to  what  we  have  to-day — corn  meal,  bread, 
coarse  herbs,  felt  clothing,  wooden  shoes  and  mud 
plastered  houses. 

"  The  mechanics  and  laborers  of  the  land  were  in  no 
better  position,  for  the  farm-class  having  no  money  to 
buy,  there  was  no  sale  for  the  goods  made  by  the  me- 
chanics— they  were  thrown  out  of  work — their  rents  had 
to  be  paid,  so  that  lacking  work,  food  and  shelter,  they 
became  outcasts  and  tramps. 

"  The  farmer-class  at  last  having  given  up  land,  edu- 
cation, luxury,  comfort,  still  being  unable  to  pay  and 
live  as  freemen,  rather  than  commit  the  sin  of  suicide — 
for  Christianity  is  deeply  imprinted  in  the  hearts  of 
the  tillers  of  the  soil — surrendered,  to  live,  their  last 
possession, — Freedom, — and  by  '  Bonds  of  Servitude* 
bound  themselves  and  their  children  to  the  soil. 

"  The  fate  of  all  other  tenants  in  America  awaits  you. 
From  the  history  of  your  class  and  country,  you  must 
see  that  escape  is  impossible.  The  failure  of  last 
year's  crop  has  left  you  without  even  seed  to  plant. 
John  Lawton,  the  Proprietor,  has  refused  to  furnish 
seed  and  supplies  for  next  year's  crop  unless  you  give 
the  '  Bonds,'  and  unless  you  do  plant  the  soil,  you 
are  notified  to  leave  the  land. 

"  You  ask  my  advice — then  sign  the  '  Bonds  of  Servi- 
tude.' The  act  is  your  only  salvation  from  starvation 
and  death.  Feel  no  added  disgrace  in  giving  the 
'  Bonds.'  The  act  is  not  yours  but  it  is  the  act  of 
careless,  thoughtless  ancestors,  done  by  them  more 
than  a  century  ago,  and  which  you  are  now  called 
upon  to  accept  the  punishment  of." 

The  old  man  paused.  A  suppressed  murmur,  almost 
a  groan  was  the  only  sound  heard  for  several  minutes — 


"  UNCLE    SAM'S  "    CABINS.  59 

when  from  out  of  the  shadow  stepped  a  young  man, 
tall,  thin,  with  long  unkempt  hair  and  beard,  clothed 
in  felt  as  the  other  men,  but  with  a  face  which  would 
have  been  positively  handsome,  had  not  the  pinching 
hand  of  poverty  marked  it  with  the  indelible  imprint 
of  its  fingers — a  wild,  fierce,  passionate  light  burned  in 
the  dark  haggard  eyes,  which  glittered  in  the  fire-light 
like  a  cornered  mountain  cat's — the  man's  name  was 
George  Hollister. 

In  a  voice  of  pent-up  wrath,  he  said,  addressing  the 
old  man  who  gazed  upon  him  with  eyes  full  of  pity : 

"  William  Anderson,  do  you  advise  me  to  make  my 
mother  and  sister,  slaves?" 

Not  pausing  for  a  reply,  he  turned  to  the  men 
around  him  and  continued  :  "  When  my  father  lay 
dying  he  made  me  swear,  boy  as  I  then  was,  to  sign 
no  '  Bond  of  Servitude '  binding  myself,  family  and 
descendants  as  slaves  to  the  soil.  Five  hundred  of  the 
acres  now  tilled  by  you  men  had  been  the  property  of 
my  father's  father — John  Lawton's  father  acquired  it 
honestly,  perhaps,  but  by  means  of  those  damnable 
laws,  William  Anderson  has  described — the  knowledge 
of  these  facts  embittered  my  father's  whole  life  and  it 
was  the  suggestion  of  the  '  Bonds  of  Servitude  '  for 
the  impoverished  and  helpless  tenantry  that  finally 
broke  his  heart  and  killed  him.  For  myself  and  family 
I  will  sign  no  '  Bonds  of  Servitude  ' — I,  singly  and 
alone,  if  none  join  me,  will  rebel,"  and  frantically 
shaking  his  clenched  hands  above  his  head,  he  cried — 

"  I  will  fight  and  kill  some  of  our  masters,  I  can  but 
die ! ''  and  with  that  wild  shout,  rushed  through  the 
amazed  crowd  of  men  out  of  the  door  into  the  dark- 
ness beyond.     The  old  man  sprang  after  him    to   the 


Go  "UNCLE   SAM'S  "   CABINS. 

door,  calling  out,  "  For  God's  sake,  George,  think  of 
your  mother  and  sister,"  but  no  answer  came  back  out 
of  the  darkness. 

Then  Anderson,  looking  at  the  men  now  clustered 
around  the  door,  in  a  voice  broken  by  emotion,  ex- 
claimed : 

"  For  the  love  of  God,  do  nothing.  Sign  the  bonds, 
as  a  struggle  at  this  late  day,  means  death.  You 
would  be  obliged  in  the  end  to  succumb.  The  Gov- 
ernment, the  army,  the  weapons,  the  money — all  are 
in  the  hands  of  the  great  Proprietors. 

"  Submit  ;   it  is  our  heritage. 

"  Submission  and  Slavery." 


CHAPTER  VII. 

After  sending  the  hamper  and  note  to  Mary  Hol- 
lister,  for  several  hours  Jack  Lawton  remained  locked 
in  his  room,  meditating  upon  how  he  should  act  and 
what  he  could  do,  in  this,  the  first  trial  of  his  strength 
in  the  cause  of  his  Master.  He  felt  it  his  duty  at  any 
cost  to  prevent  any  of  the  Hollisters  from  becoming 
slaves.  His  gratitude  and  affection  for  the  family  were 
sufficient  to  lead  him  to  the  determination  to  resort  to 
every  expedient  to  avert  that  calamity,  but  aside 
from  that  question,  as  a  soldier  of  Christ,  as  a  clergy- 
man, he  recognized  that  his  post  of  duty  was  among 
the  heartbroken  people  of  the  District  where  he  had 
been  born. 

He  knew  that  in  the  desperate  frame  of  mind,  arising 
from  the  humilation  of  their  recent  increased  degrada- 
tion, the  tenants  might  resort  to  violence  of  some 
kind.  He  saw  clearly  that  in  the  hour  of  their  greatest 
distress  the  people  of  the  District  would  need  a  coun- 
selor and  friend — and  that  having  been  associated  with 
them  and  having  won  their  confidence  and  friendship 
as  a  boy,  he  would  be  able  to  serve  his  Master  better 
probably  than  a  stranger, — even  though   the    stranger 


62  "  UNCLE   SAM  S       CABINS. 

might  be  an  older,  wiser  and  more  experienced  soldier 
of  the  Cross. 

He,  for  the  sake  of  old  days  spent  with  the  tenants, 
would  be  admitted  to  the  homes  and  inmost  hearts  of 
the  poor  people,  while  they  might  hesitate  before  lay- 
ing bare  their  suffering  souls  to  one  with  whom  they 
were  unfamiliar.  He  seemed  to  hear  a  voice  saying — 
"The  disciple  is  not  above  his  Master  nor  the  servant 
above  his  lord." 

He  had  been  offered  a  post  in  a  fashionable  parish 
in  New  York  city,  because  of  the  position  and  influ- 
ence of  his  family,  but  now  was  recalled  to  him  how 
the  Master  dwelt  among  the  lowly. 

Opening  his  Bible,  Jack  read  Christ's  command  to 
his  disciples, — "  But  go  rather  to  the  lost  sheep  of  the 
house  of  Israel."  The  words  there  printed,  like  the 
bugle  blast  to  the  ear  of  a  soldier,  called  him  to  his 
post  of  duty. 

That  night,  two  letters  left  the  Lawton  mansion, 
one  going  to  New  York  refusing  the  flattering  offer  of 
the  fashionable  church,  the  other,  begging  the  Church 
authorities  of  the  District  of  Ohio,  that  he  might  be 
assigned  to  missionary  duty  in  the  neighborhood 
where  he  was  born.  Jack  having  written  these  two 
letters  and  finally  resolved  upon  a  course  of  action, 
went  in  search  of  his  father  and  found  him  busily 
engaged  with  his  lawyer  in  the  library. 

John  Lawton,  Sr.,  looking  up  from  the  papers  before 
him  when  his  son  entered  the  room,  said  with  a  smile  : 

"  Well,  Jack,  have  you  been  gathering  ammunition 
and  come  back  to  renew  the  battle  with  Weaving?" 
But  seeing  the  serious  and  determined  aspect  of  his 
son's  countenance,  he  changed  his  bantering  tone  and 
added — "or  is  it  something  you  wish  to  say  to  me?" 


UNCLE   SAM'S  "   CABINS.  6 


J 


This  father  had  always  in  spite  of  differences  of  opin- 
ion with  this  son,  held  a  rather  queer  idea  of  the  possi- 
bility of  Jack  doing  anything,  no  matter  how  extraor- 
dinary, whenever  he  observed  the  determined  look 
come  into  his  eyes,  and  knew  that  the  point  where 
further  exercise  of  parental  authority  became  danger- 
ous had  been  reached — in  fact,  there  was  an  element  of 
well-concealed  fear  in  the  father  for  this  son,  as  there 
had  been  in  the  husband  for  the  mother,  whom  Jack 
so  vividly  recalled,  as  drawing  a  chair  close  to  his 
father's  side  and  placing  one  of  his  strong  brown  hands 
over  the  fragile  fingers  of  his  father,  he  said : 

"  Will  you  allow  me  to  interrupt  you  for  a  few 
minutes?  I  wish  particularly  to  talk  with  you  before 
I  visit  some  friends.  As  the  subject  is  entirely  per- 
sonal to  myself  and  seriously  concerns  my  future,  will 
you  excuse  Mr.  Weaving  ?  " 

Without  waiting  for  the  reply  of  Mr.  Lawton,  the 
lawyer  arose  hurriedly,  saying:  "Certainly,  Mr.  Jack, 
nothing  that  is  urgent  requires  your  father's  atten- 
tion," and  left  the  room. 

As  the  door  closed  behind  Weaving,  Mr.  Lawton 
with  considerable  uneasiness  in  his  voice  said  :  "  What 
is  it  Jack?"  The  son,  without  removing  either  his 
hand  from  his  father's,  or  the  gaze  of  his  dark  earnest 
eyes  from  the  face  of  the  older  man,  said  slowly  as  if 
each  word  were  intended  to  be  well  considered  by  the 
listener  before  the  next  word  was  uttered : 

"  Without  waiting  for  me  to  request,  you,  sir,  have 
ever  treated  me  with  great  generosity.  My  allowance 
has  always  been  exceedingly  liberal,  but  I  fear  that  I  am 
a  bad  manager,  as  I  find  myself  utterly  without  means." 

The  father   interrupted  and  in  a  tone  of  relief,  said : 


64  "UNCLE   SAM'S"   CABINS. 

"  Bless  my  soul,  boy,  that  is  not  a  serious  matter,"  and 
reaching  for  his  check-book,  added,  "  How  much?"  as 
he  opened  the  book. 

"Father,"  said  Jack,  "I  had  not  finished  what  I 
have  to  say.  I  am  fully  aware  that  the  property  of  the 
estate  will  all  go  to  my  brother,  and  that  I  am,  as  a 
younger  son,  in  no  position  to  demand  anything  con- 
cerning the  property  of  the  estate.  I  come,  therefore, 
to  you,  father,  to  most  earnestly  solicit  a  favor  con- 
cerning the  leasing  of  part  of  the  property." 

Mr.  Lawton's  hand  had  slowly  closed  the  check-book 
and  he  looked  with  eyes  of  astonishment  and  anxiety 
at  the  speaker,  as  his  son  continuing,  said : 

"  I  have  writen  to  your  kind  friends  in  New  York, 
declining  the  splendid  offer  of  the  church,  made  by 
them.  I  also  have  written,  urging  my  appointment  as 
a  missionary  in  this  district,  upon  the  Church  authori- 
ties—  "  Astonishment  and  annoyance  kept  the  Pro- 
prietor silent  as  Jack  added,  "  I  cannot  live  in  the 
mansion  and  be  of  the  people  as  I  can  if  living  among 
them,  therefore  I  come  to  you  to  beg  that  you  allow 
me  the  use  of  the  house  occupied  by  your  superin- 
tendent, Johnson — and  being,  as  I  first  remarked,  with- 
out money — to  propose  to  you  that  in  place  of  the 
pension  heretofore  given  me,  you  will  give  me  the  use 
of  the  house  I  have  mentioned,  with  a  few  acres  of 
land,  free  of  rent  for  my  life — and  to  enable  me  to 
properly  enter  upon  my  duties  and  perform  such  acts 
of  charity  as  I  deem  necessary,  that  you  give  me  the 
sum  of  one  thousand  dollars." 

At  the  impatient  gesture  of  his  father,  Jack  stopped, 
but  before  he  could  be  interrupted,  continued  : 

"  I  am  aware  that  I    am    asking   a   great   deal,  but  I 


"UNCLE  SAM'S  "   CABINS.  65 

don't  think  that  you,  or  Henry  after  you,  will  miss 
out  of  the  many  millions  of  dollars  of  the  Lawton 
estate,  what  I  ask —  "  Here  Mr.  Lawton  stopped 
him  by  raising  his  hand  with  a  deprecating  motion, 
saying  : 

"  Now,  Jack  ;  stop  all  that  absurd  talk  about  what 
you  ask  being  much  in  itself,  it  is  absolutely  nothing, 
a  mere  trifle,  but  I  will  not  allow  you  to  sacrifice 
yourself  by  remaining  buried  alive  here,  when  you 
could  occupy  a  position  in  keeping  with  your  name 
and  family  by  accepting  the  offer  of  my  friends  in 
New  York.  No,  Jack,  no !  I  will  neither  give  you 
the  lease  nor  the  money." 

The  young  man  without  one  word  of  reply,  pushed 
back  his  chair  and  walked  to  the  door.  This  proceed- 
ing was  more  alarming  to  his  father  than  the  most 
violent  language  from  Jack  would  have  been,  because 
it  was  so  unlike  the  usual  behavior  of  his  combative 
son  ;  therefore  Mr.  Lawton,  rising  from  his  chair  and 
following  Jack  to  the  door,  said,  "  Where  are  you 
going  ?  " 

The  young  clergyman  turned  and  placing  one 
powerful  hand  on  each  of  his  father's  shoulders,  looking 
down  into  his  eyes,  replied  :  "  Up-stairs  to  pack  my 
trunk  and  leave  your  house,  father,  and  seek  shelter  in 
the  hovels  of  your  tenants,  for  I  am  determined  to  do 
the  work  of  my  Divine  Master  among  the  poor  and 
oppressed  of  this  district,  if  even  like  Him  I  serve,  I 
have  nowhere  to  lay  my  head." 

His  father  hesitated  an  instant,  then  seeing  the 
unshakable  resolve  of  the  man  written  in  Jack's  face,  he 
placed  his  arm  around  him  and  said,  "  Come,  Jack, 
I  will  do  what  you  want ;  but,  my  son,  you  are  cutting 


66  "  U.NXLE   SAM'S  "    CABINS. 

yourself  off  from  your  family  and  all  your  associates  in 
your  own  sphere  of  life." 

Together  the  father  and  son  went  arm  in  arm  back- 
to  the  desk,  and  Mr.  Lawton  opening  the  check-book, 
filled  out  a  check  for  a  thousand  dollars,  saying  :  "I 
will  have  Weaving  make  out  the  proper  papers  giving 
you  the  house  and  land  now  occupied  by  Johnson, 
without  rent  for  your  life." 

Jack  said,  while  warmly  grasping  his  father's  hand 
as  he  arose  to  leave  the  room  :  "  God  bless  you,  sir! 
you  have  made  me  a  very  happy  man  to-day— and  I 
beg  that  you  instruct  Weaving  to  prepare  a  final  dis- 
charge for  you  and  my  brother  Henry  from  any  further 
claim  of  mine  upon  either  of  you."  As  Jack  closed 
the  door  after  him,  Mr.  Lawton  leaning  back  in  his 
chair  speaking  to  himself,  said  with  a  sigh,  "  Just  like 
his  mother,  he  would  have  gone  to  the  huts  of  the  ten- 
ants. I  saw  the  same  look  that  his  mother  used  to  have, 
and  it  was  waste  of  time  and  words  to  argue  the 
question — he  would  have  cared  nothing  for  the  disgrace 
to  our  name — I  did  right." 

As  the  Proprietor  sat  thinking,  Weaving  came  into 
the  room  and  was  informed  of  what  had  occurred.  He 
said  :  "  That  does  not  surprise  me.  In  fact,  I  rather  ex- 
pected it  and  it  happens  rather  conveniently,  for  in 
case  of  trouble  about  these  '  Bonds,'  Mr.  Jack's  pres- 
ence among  the  tenantry  is  more  valuable  than  a 
regiment  of  soldiers." 

Lawton  considered  a  few  minutes  and  said,  "  Perhaps, 
you  are  right,  Weaving,  but  had  I  not  seen  the  hope- 
lessness of  the  task,  I  would  have  endeavored  to  have 
him  leave  this  District.  However,  "  added  Lawton, 
"  prepare  the   lease  and   notify  Johnson  to  vacate  that 


"UNCLE   SAM'S"   CABINS.  67 

house  and  occupy  any  other  that  he  may  fancy." 
For  some  moments,  Weaving  seemed  deeply  buried  in 
thought,  when  suddenly  looking  up  and  finding  Mr. 
Lawton  regarding  him  with  some  curiosity,  he  said : 

"  Why  does  not  Mr.  Henry  get  married  ?  In  case  of 
the  death  of  Mr.  Henry  without  sons,  Mr.  Jack  would 
inherit  the  Lawton  estate  after  you,  sir,  and.  with  his 
peculiar  opinions,  especially  now  that  he  intends  to 
remain  constantly  with  the  tenants  and  become  daily 
more  attached  to  them,  it  would  be  an  exceedingly 
unfortunate  thing  were  he  to  become  the  Proprietor  of 
the  District." 

It  was  plain  from  the  promptness  with  which  the 
question  was  answered,  that  the  subject  had  been  con- 
sidered, discussed  and  settled  by  Mr.  Lawton,  for 
almost  before  Weaving  had  ceased  to  speak,  the  Pro- 
prietor said  : 

"  Henry  will  marry  Miss  Ashton  this  coming  autumn, 
and  I  hope  that  the  danger  you  speak  of  will  be  in 
time,  removed  by  the  birth  of  a  son.  Henry  absolutely 
refused  to  marry  before  he  became  thirty-five  years  of 
age,  declaring  that  he  wished  to  enjoy  life  before  he 
settled  down,  and  even  now  I  would  have  great  diffi- 
culty in  bringing  this  marriage  about  were  it  not  that 
his  medical  adviser  insists  that  he  must  lead  a  quiet 
life,  as  his  health  is  much  injured  by  dissipation.  At 
last,  I  induced  Henry  to  believe  that  a  wife  might 
furnish  some  entertainment,  now  that  a  quiet  life  was 
necessary,  and  pointing  out  the  importance  of  per- 
petuating our  name  by  a  proper  representative,  he  has 
consented." 

Weaving  merely  remarked  by  way  of  reply  :  "  I  wish 
Mr.  Henry  had  more   of  his   brother's  strength,"  and 


68  "uncle  sam's"  cabins. 

began  the  preparation  of  the  lease,  to  Jack  Lawton  for 
life,  of  the  house  where  the  Hollisters  had  lived  so 
many  years,  which  was  now  occupied  by  the  superin- 
tendent, Johnson. 

While  Weaving  was  writing  the  lease  for  him,  and 
his  father  speculating  upon  the  disaster  in  store  for  the 
Lawton. estate,  should  Henry  die  without  having  a  son 
to  inherit  the  property,  Jack  Lawton  was  striding 
along  the  muddy  road  toward  the  humble  home  of  the 
Hollisters,  with  a  heart  full  of  happiness,  little  imagin- 
ing that  the  possibility  of  his  becoming  the  Proprietor 
of  the  District  could  be  a  cause  of  thought  to  any  one, 
as  he  had  never  given,  what  he  considered  a  very 
remote  probability,  an  instant  of  his  attention. 

Jack  Lawton  carried  into  the  hovel  of  gloom  and 
darkness,  such  words  of  cheer  and  gladness  that  day, 
as  had  not  been  heard  by  Mrs.  Hollister  and  Mary  for 
years.  He  told  them  how  he  had  secured  their  old 
home,  and  that  now  Mrs.  Hollister  and  Mary  must 
move  there  again  and  keep  his  house  ;  that  George  and 
he  would  plant  the  land  ;  that  now,  not  being  tenants 
of  the  Proprietor,  they  need  dread  no  longer  those 
hateful  "  Bonds  of  Servitude." 

He  had  come  into  a  hovel,  but  by  the  hope, 
light  and  happiness  he  brought,  he  dispelled  the 
dreariness  of  the  place,  as  the  coming  sun  dispels 
the  gloom  of  night.  And  as  they  sat  around 
the  humble  hearth  waiting  for  George,  they  planned 
the  little  church  Jack  would  build  with  part  of 
his  thousand  dollars.  What  missionary  work  he 
hoped  to  do,  and  when  at  last,  it  grew  so  late,  that  he 
had  to  leave,  he  left  many  kind  messages  for  George, 
and  bade  them  tell  him  to  stay  at  home  next  da}' until 
he  came,  that  they  together  might  go  and   examine 


"  UNCLE   SAM'S  "    CABINS.  69 

the  old  homestead,  and  playgrounds  of  George,  Mary 
and  Jack. 

In  his  dreams  that  night  Jack  seemed  to  see  the 
beautiful  picture  of  his  mother  which  hung  in  the 
parlor,  walk  out  of  the  canvas  and  come  smiling  to 
him,  push  away  the  curls  and  kiss  him  on  his  forehead, 
and  lovingly  lay  her  hand  upon  his  head. 

*  *  *  •&  *  * 

Mary  and  her  mother,  so  overcome  with  the  sudden 
change  from  the  dark  misery  of  despair,  to  the  happi- 
ness of  hope,  slept  none  that  night,  but  waited  arid 
watched  for  the  coming  of  George,  both  anxious  to 
share  their  joy  with  the  partner  of  their  sorrows  ;  but 
the  night  passed  and  George  did  not  return  home. 

The  morning  light  revealed  in  the  faces  of  the 
women  no  trace  of  their  long  watching — hope  and 
happiness  had  so  altered  the  expression  that  no  sleep- 
lessness or  weariness  was  visible  in  the  countenance  of 
either  mother  or  daughter.  And  when  Jack  called  out 
for  George  as  he  came  to  the  door,  and  Mary  came  to 
greet  and  tell  him  that  George  had  not  been  home  the 
night  before  to  hear  the  great  good  news,  Jack  looked 
at  her  in  surprise,  and  said  : 

"  Why,  Mollie,  you  look  this  morning  like  another 
woman.     What  have  you  been  doing  ?  " 

The  girl  replied  :  "  Mr.  Jack,  you  are  the  magician 
that  has  changed  me,  if  there  be  a  change,  for  you  have 
made  me  so  happy !  "  and  Mrs.  Hollister  coming  at 
Jack's  call  to  see  the  lease  given  him  that  morning, 
whereby  their  old  home  was  his,  and  therefore  theirs, 
without  rent  as  long  as  he  should  live,  he  saw  the  same 
change  in  her,  ten  years  of  age  seeming  to  have  been 
taken    away    from    her.     And    in  his    walk    alone    to 


JO  "  UNCLE   SAM'S  "    CABINS. 

examine  the  premises  he  had  known  so  well  as  a  boy, 
Jack's  heart  was  full  of  thankfulness  to  God  that  he 
had  been  made  the  instrument  of  the  Almighty's 
loving  kindness  to  the  two  poor  women  in  the  hovel. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

THOMAS  JOHNSON,  the  superintendent  of  the  Lawton 
estate  in  the  District  of  Ohio,  had  for  the  past  five 
years  been  almost  undisputed  master  of  the  District,  as 
the  Proprietor  spent  but  little  time  on  his  property ; 
indeed,  rarely  could  Mr.  Lawton  be  induced  to  leave 
the  comforts  of  his  city  clubs  and  the  pleasures  of  New 
York  to  immure  himself  in  the  gloomy,  pauperized, 
agricultural  district  of  which  he  was  Proprietor.  John- 
son, being  thus  left  with  no  one  to  control  his  move- 
ments, nor  interfere  with  his  autocratic  power,  had 
given  loose  rein  to  his  naturally  surly  temper,  exer- 
cising his  arbitrary  will  whenever  an  opportunity  pre- 
sented itself,  in  a  most  merciless  manner. 

Upon  the  failure  of  the  crop  of  the  District  for  the 
second  year,  it  was  Johnson  who  had  devised  the 
scheme  of  refusing  to  furnish  seed  or  supplies  to  the 
tenants,  for  the  purpose  of  planting  the  soil,  unless 
they  would  enter  into  "  Bonds  of  Servitude." 

The  superintendent  had  urged  the  Proprietor  to  avail 
himself  of  the  advantage  offered  by  the  misfortunes  of 
the  tenants,  to  end  in  the  district  the  lingering  remains 
of  freedom  in  the  farm-class  of  America,  insisting  that 


J2  "  UNCLE    SAM'S  "    CABINS. 

such  a  condition  as  had  been  arrived  at  by  the  failure  of 
two  successive  crops  in  the  district  might  not  recur  in 
a  life-time,  and  that  without  slave  labor,  it  was  utterly 
impossible  to  plant  profitably  in  America. 

Having  finally  prevailed  upon  the  Proprietor  to  adopt 
his  scheme  of  enslaving  the  tenants,  and  having  com- 
mitted Mr.  Lawton  to  the  uncompromising  position 
occupied  by  him  as  Proprietor  of  the  District,  John- 
son became  so  exultant  over  the  bright  prospect  for 
the  exercise  of  the  spirit  of  petty  tyranny,  which,  in 
the  meanness  of  the  soul,  he  possessed,  that  he' boastfully 
proclaimed  himself  the  author  of  the  cruel  measure 
which  would  place  the  poor  people  of  the  district  in 
his  power.  For  this  reason  more,  than  for  the 
cruel  conduct  of  which  he  had  been  guilty  for  years, 
Johnson  was  regarded  as  an  object  of  intense  hatred 
by  all  of  the  tenants.  Many  had  vowed  vengeance, 
but  the  spirit  of  the  majority  of  the  men  was  so 
crushed  and  subdued  by  years  of  subordination,  that 
no  overt  act  of  retaliation  had  ever  been  attempted. 

Johnson  was  the  superintendent  not  only  of  the 
section  cultivated  by  those  tenants  who  had  assembled 
at  Rossmore's  house,  but  of  the  entire  District  of  Ohio, 
having  in  each  section,  an  overseer  or  head  man,  who 
executed  the  orders  of  the    superintendent. 

Thomas  Johnson's  father  had  been  the  superintend- 
ent of  a  criminal  reformatory,  and  in  the  atmosphere 
surrounding  a  prison,  as  a  witness  of  the  brutal  punish- 
ments there  inflicted  upon  the  helpless  creatures  com- 
mitted to  the  tender  mercies  of  his  father,  the  son 
had  grown  to  manhood.  He  had  entered  the  service 
of  the  present  Proprietor  of  the  District  some  twenty 
years  before  the  date  of  this  narrative,  as  an  overseer 


"UNCLE   SAMS       CABINS.  7 3 

of  a  section  of  the  territory,  and  upon  the  death  of  the 
former  superintendent,  had  been  promoted  to  his 
present  position,  because  of  the  executive  ability  he 
exhibited  in  the  organization  and  operation  of  his  sec- 
tion as  overseer. 

Johnson  was  now  about  fifty  years  of  age—the  dark, 
damp  looking  red  hair  which  stood  like  bristles  upon 
his  large  square  head,  was  sprinkled  with  white — the 
keen  shifty  glance  of  the  light  blue  eyes  be- 
neath the  grizzly  overhanging  eyebrows,  revealed  the 
active  spirit  of  the  man — thick,  moist  scarlet  lips 
marked  with  a  blood-like  line,  upon  the  face  of  the 
superintendent,  the  sign  of  sensuality.  His  large  body 
gave  him  the  appearance  of  a  tall  man  when  seated, 
but  the  impression  was  quickly  dispelled  when  he 
stood,  supported  by  short,  very  much  bowed  legs. 

Johnson  had  adopted  the  bluff,  active  manner  of  a 
business  man  in  his  intercourse  with  the  Proprietor, 
concealing  his  truculency  beneath  the  cloak  of  blunt, 
unvarnished  honesty,  thus  preventing  the  natural 
coarseness  of  his  character  offending  the  refined  sensi- 
bilities of  the  well-bred  Mr.  Lawton. 

The  house  now  occupied  by  Johnson,  and  which,  dur- 
ing Jack's  boyhood,  had  been  the  home  of  the  Hollis- 
ters,  was  a  substantially  built  brick  structure  of  two 
stories,  containing  a  dozen  rooms, — verandas  sur- 
rounded the  house, — a  well-kept  lawn  stretched  to  the 
road  in  front  of  the  building, — a  large  fruit  orchard  in 
which  stood  a  commodious  barn  and  other  outbuild- 
ings, occupied  two  or  three  acres  of  ground  at  the 
back  of  the  house. 

Johnson  was  seated  at  a  desk  in  the  front  room, 
which  he  used  as  a  kind  of  library  or  office,  busily  en- 


74  "UNCLE   SAM'S "   CABINS. 

gaged  in  writing  up  the  reports  of  the  overseers  of  the 
different  sections,  for  the  inspection  of  the  Proprietor 
and  Weaving  the  lawyer  of  the  estate,  when  the  busy 
man  saw  through  the  window,  the  tall  clerical  figure  of 
the  Rev.  Jack  Lawton  marching  over  the  snow  which 
still  lay  upon  the  lawn,  towards  the  house.  It  had 
been  several  years  since  the  superintendent  had  seen 
Jack  Lawton,  but  he  had  heard  that  the  young  clergy- 
man was  expected  to  return  this  spring  from  Europe, 
so  easily  guessed  who  the  unceremonious  intruder  was, 
and  hastened  to  the  door  to  receive  the  visitor  with 
many  expressions  of  welcome. 

Johnson,  who  as  overseer  of  the  section  had  never 
been  a  favorite  of  Jack's,  regarded  with  considerable 
interest,  if  not  with  something  of  fear,  the  muscular 
proportions  of  the  young  man,  who,  sitting  bolt  upright 
in  the  centre  of  the  room,  into  which,  Johnson  had  led 
him,  glanced  around  the  apartment  at  the  familiar 
objects  of  his  childhood,  with  stern,  almost  threatening 
countenance.  At  last,  having  finished  his  silent  exam- 
ination of  the  room,  his  gaze  fell  upon  the  conciliating 
creature  before  him,  and  catching  the  shifting  glance  of 
the  superintendent's  blue  eyes,  Jack,  without  respond- 
ing to  the  complimentary  speeches  of  welcome  which 
Johnson  had  been  making,  said  abruptly  as  he  looked 
at  him  steadily  and  sternly  in  the  face : 

"  Johnson,  these  proposed  '  Bonds  of  Servitude  '  for 
the  tenants  of  the  estate,  are  entirely  unnecessary,  and  in 
my  opinion,  a  cowardly  cruel  advantage  to  take  of  the 
misfortunes  of  men  who  are  certainly  as  good,  if  not 
better  than  many  of  those  more  fortunately  situated. 
I  tell  you,  (for  I  have  heard  that  you  have  persistently 
advised   my  father  to  his  present   course   of  conduct 


"  UNCLE   SAM  S       CABINS.  75 

with  regard  to  the  '  Bonds')  that  only  ill  can  come  of 
this,  not  only  to  this  district,  but  to  the  whole  country, 
and  while  I  have  no  evidence  of  any  unworthy  or  dis- 
honest motive  actuating  you,  still,  I  insist  that  evil 
will  result  both  to  you  and  to  our  family,  from  carry- 
ing out  the  contemplated  enslavement  of  the  tenants, — 
that  even  though  you  be  honest  in  the  matter,  in  your 
advice  to  my  father,  you  are  proving  yourself  a  danger- 
ous enemy  to  every  man  of  the  Lawton  name." 

As  Jack  spoke,  the  color  mounted  to  the  very  roots 
of  the  bristling  red  hair  of  the  superintendent.  The 
fierce  temper  of  the  brutal  man  for  one  moment 
flashed  from  his  cat-like  eyes  upon  the  stern  speaker, 
but  quickly  recalling  the  fact  that  the  man  seated  in 
front  of  him  was  (even  though  not  heir  to  the  estate) 
the  son  of  the  powerful  Proprietor,  as  well  as,  perhaps, 
some  recollection  of  Jack's  youthful  courage  and  com- 
bativeness,  Johnson  choked  down  his  wrath,  and  with 
the  usual  assumption  of  brusque  honesty  began  to 
explain  and  repeat  parrot-like,  the  arguments  of  Weav- 
ing, but  he  had  not  proceeded  long  enough  with  his 
reply  to  fully  regain  his  confident  manner,  before  Jack, 
raising  his  hand  with  a  deprecating  gesture,  exclaimed  : 

"  Oh,  stop !  I  have  heard  enough  of  that  unfair 
reasoning  from  Weaving,"  and  without  pausing  to  per- 
mit Johnson  to  continue  his  harangue,  Jack  hurled 
this  inquiry  like  a  dynamite  bomb  into  the  already 
somewhat  disarranged  camp  of  Johnson's  ideas : 
"  Why  were  the  Hollisters  forced  to  leave  this,  their 
old  home,  and  move  to  that  hovel  ?  By  whom,  was 
the  order  given  ?  " 

Johnson,  quite  abashed,  for  he  now  remembered  the 
intimate  association  of  his  inquisitor  with  the  unfortu- 


j6  "UNCLE   SAM'S"    CABINS. 

nate  family,  who,  by  the  orders  of  the  superintendent, 
had  been  dispossessed  of  a  home  made  dear  to  the 
man  before  him  by  childish  memories,  sought  refuge 
in  that  fort  of  security  which,  alas  !  so  often  has 
afforded  safety  to  the  cruel,  cowardly  and  vindictive 
of  all  ages  and  countries — duty. 

Johnson  replied  that  his  duty  to  his  employer  com- 
pelled him  to  have  the  Hollisters  move  off  a  piece  of 
property  of  the  estate  for  which  they  were  unable  to 
pay  rent,  and,  with  a  great  parade  of  virtue,  said  how 
reluctantly  he  had  been  compelled  to  do  an  act  which 
was  dictated  solely  by  honesty  in  his  management  of 
the  property  of  the  estate.  That  his  own  occupancy  of 
the  place  was  due  entirely  to  his  inability  to  secure  a 
tenant  who  was  in  a  position  to  take  the  responsibility 
of  planting  and  maintaining  so  large  a  holding  of  land. 

Jack  listened,  with  the  incredulity  which  he  felt, 
plainly  mirrored  in  his  face.  The  flush  of  mingled  in- 
dignation and  anger  would  have  flamed  into  a  danger- 
ous fire  of  resentment  resulting  in  the  infliction  of  in- 
stant punishment  upon  the  knavish  disciple  of  duty  be- 
fore him,  had  Jack  known  that  the  hoary  sinner  assum- 
ing so  much  of  the  virtue  of  honesty,  had  been  the 
cause  of  constant  misery  to  the  whole  Hollister  family  ; 
that  much  of  their  suffering  had  been  caused  by  the 
machinations  of  this  libidinous  vampire,  who,  finding 
himself  repulsed  with  horror  and  contempt  by  Mary, 
had  resorted  to  every  petty,  mean  measure  of  punish- 
ment and  revenge. 

How  he  had  taken  advantage  of  his  position  to  annoy 
and  insult  Mary  by  his  obnoxious  attention  ever  since 
she  had  become  a  woman  ;  how,  by  insisting  upon  the 
most  exact  fulfillment  of  every  condition  of  their  ten- 


"  UNCLE   SAM'S  "   CABINS.  JJ 

ancy  upon  the  estate,  he  had  gradually  brought  the  Hol- 
lister  family  down  to  a  condition  almost  unendurable, 
hoping  thus  to  secure  the  accomplishment  of  his  fiend- 
ish design  upon  the  honor  of  Mary,  thinking,  that  in 
the  very  desperation  of  soul  caused  by  want  and  mis- 
ery of  her  mother,  the  daughter  would  throw  herself  a 
willing  sacrifice  into  his  arms,  as  a  last  resort. 

While  the  cause  of  much  of  their  trouble  was 
understood  by  patient,  suffering  Mary,  she  meekly 
aggravated  the  bitterness  of  her  misery  by  concealing 
from  her  mother  and  brother  the  origin  thereof ; 
knowing  the  almost  insane  rage  which  time  seemed 
only  to  increase  within  the  bosom  of  her  brother,  she 
feared  the  result  of  an  explosion  of  temper  which 
would  surely  follow  the  revelation  to  him  of  the  con- 
tinued insults  offered  her. 

Self-sacrificing  Mary  refused  to  add  to  the  already 
crushing  load  of  humiliation  and  sorrow  borne  by  her 
mother,  by  telling  her  of  that  depth  of  degradation 
which  their  unhappy  family  had  reached,  where  a 
daughter  was  subjected  to  the  licentious  attentions  of 
an  aged  and  repulsive  libertine.  In  silence  and  sor- 
row, Mary  had  suffered  from  the  persecutions  of  John- 
son for  four  or  five  years. 

Well,  it  was  for  you,  man  of  bluff  honesty  and  devo- 
tion to  duty,  that  this  was  all  unknown  to  the  splendid 
specimen  of  manhood  before  you.  For  in  the  hour 
that  Jack  Lawton  had  learned  that  the  drooping  head 
— which,  covered  with  shining  baby  curls,  had  rested 
confidently  upon  his  sturdy,  boyish  bosom  years  ago, 
had  been  caused  by  your  insulting  words  and  gaze, 
that  the  nervous,  trembling  hands  (which,  dimpled 
white   and   soft,  had   patted  his   fresh   youthful  cheek 


;S  •'  UN(  I.K   SAM'S  "    CABINS. 

and  called  him  in  lisping  prattle  her  "pretty  Jack," 
when  as  a  boy  he  played  her  nurse)  trembled  from 
fear  of  you — that  those  pale  lips  (which  oft  when 
fresh  with  the  heaven-born  innocence  of  the  babe,  had 
met  his  own  in  holy  kisses)  were  blanched  at  your 
horrible  approach  ; — yes,  man  of  assumed  virtue  and 
fidelity  to  duty — in  that  hour  you  would  have  been 
dragged  like  a  cringing  cur,  and  with  grip  of  iron  forced 
to  your  knees  before  the  gentle  creature  you  have  tor- 
mented— there  to  beg  and  whine  for  forgiveness,  and 
pray  her  intercession  that  you  might  be  granted  per- 
mission to  continue  to  pollute  the  pure  air  with  your 
contaminating  presence. 

Jack,  all  unconscious  of  the  fact  that  the  being 
whom  he  addressed,  was  a  moral  cesspool  of  corrup- 
tion, rising  from  his  chair,  drew  from  his  pocket  the 
order  from  his  father,  the  Proprietor,  for  Johnson  to 
vacate  the  premises,  at  the  same  time  handing  to  him 
for  his  perusal  the  lease  executed  by  the  Proprietor, 
whereby  the  Rev.  John  Lawton  became  tenant  of  the 
house  and  land  attached  thereto  for  his  life,  and  said : 

"  Thank  God,  there  is  one  wrong  I  can  make  right 
by  restoring  the  possession  of  the  old  home  to  the 
Hollisters,  and  in  the  making  right  that  wrong,  I  will 
prevent  the  doing  of  another — George  Hollister  enter- 
ing into  '  Bonds  of  Servitude.'  Now,  Johnson,  when 
can  you  get  out  of  here  and  give  me  possession?" 

The  amazement  and  chagrin  depicted  upon  the 
countenance  of  the  thus  defeated  wretch  who  had 
read  the  papers  and  heard  Jack's  words,  was  so  acute 
as  to  be  almost  pitiful,  and  was  only  terminated  by 
his  complete  collapse,  as  Jack  added  : 

"  I  intend  to  occupy  the  house  myself,  as  my  resi- 


"  UNCLE   SAM'S  "   CABINS.  79 

dence  in  the  district  will  be  permanent,  having  applied 
to  the  Church  authorities  for  missionary  work  here 
among  the  tenants  of  the  estate,  where  I  will  strive  to 
alleviate  as  far  as  in  my  power  lies,  the  sufferings  and 
sorrows  of  my  old  friends  in  their  new  and  trying 
position  as  slaves.  Mrs.  Hollister,  who  is  almost  my 
foster  mother,  will  take  charge  of  the  domestic 
arrangement  of  my  home." 

Johnson  had  sunk  into  his  chair  at  the  desk  as  he  re- 
alized that,  like  a  house  of  cards,  his  basely  conceived 
structure  for  the  imprisonment  and  destruction  of  vir- 
tue and  honor  was  thus  swept  away  by  the  practical 
righteousness  of  the  man  who  stood  before  him,  a  per- 
fect type  of  material  manhood  in  that  flood  tide  of 
life,  when  vigor  and  passion,  physical  power  and  moral 
weakness,  temptation  and  mental  strength  attend  hand 
in  hand  upon  each  other.  The  vivified  doctrine  of 
Christianity — a  living,  breathing,  feeling,  tempted  per- 
sonification of  every  day  religion. 

Johnson,  in  wonder  and  amazement,  watched  the  ex- 
pression of  satisfaction  that  shone  from  the  fine  face  of 
the  young  clergyman  as  he  spoke  of  his  determination 
to  devote  his  life  to  laboring  for  the  poor. 

At  last  the  frustrated  superintendent  recovered  him- 
self sufficiently  to  appreciate  the  necessity  of  conciliat- 
ing, by  all  means,  a  son  of  the  Proprietor  (even  though 
the  younger  one)  who  would  constantly  be  a  resident 
of  the  District,  and,  consequently,  in  a  position  to  do 
the  agent  of  the  landlord,  great  injury  if  inimical  to 
him.  Gathering  his  somewhat  scattered  senses  with  an 
effort,  Johnson  said  : 

"  I  will  vacate  the  premises  to-morrow,  so  delighted 
am  I  to  have  one  of  the  sons  of  the  Proprietor  honor 


So  "UNCLE   SAM'S  "   CABINS. 

the  district  by  becoming  a  resident  of   it,  and  favoring 
me  with  his  counsel  and  advice." 

Jack,  taking  no  notice  of  the  conclusion  of  his  re- 
marks, turned  and  walking  out  of  the  house,  said  : 

"  Very  good,  I  will  move  in  to-morrow  at  noon,  if 
you  have  vacated  the  house,"  and  without  paying  the 
slightest  attention  to  the  extended  hand  of  Johnson 
who  had  followed  him  to  the  door,  tramped  away,  fol- 
lowed by  the  malignant,  disappointed  glance  of  the 
beast  of  prey  whom  he  had  deprived  of  the  oppor- 
tunity to  steal  upon  a  defenceless  victim. 

As  Jack  disappeared  behind  the  hill,  Johnson  struck 
the  table  with  his  clenched  fists  and  with  a  perfect 
torrent  of  oaths,  began  to  walk  up  and  down  the  room. 
Going  to  a  sideboard  he  tore  open  the  door,  and  seiz- 
ing a  decanter  of  brandy  filled  a  goblet  to  the  brim 
with  the  fiery  liquor,  which  he  swallowed  in  one  breath. 

Then  putting  on  a  heavy  coat,  he  hurried  from  the 
house,  and  down  the  road  in  an  opposite  direction  from 
that  taken  by  Jack,  seemingly  as  if  by  violent  exercise, 
he  desired  to  exhaust  his  temper  and  banish  the  feel- 
ing of  rage  and  disappointment  filling  his  breast. 
*  •*  *  -x-  ■x-  * 

George  Hollister,  when  he  rushed  out  of  Rossmore's 
house  into  the  darkness,  had,  heedless  of  falls  and 
bruises,  plunged  onward  as  if  pursued  by  a  host  of  fu- 
ries born  of  his  own  mad  fancies.  The  very  gloom 
seemed  to  intoxicate  his  nervous,  over-wrought  system, 
and  in  the  intense  transport  of  wretchedness  and  des- 
pair, he  wildly  waved  a  cudgel  which  he  carried,  above 
his  head,  striking  at  dimly  seen  objects  in  the  darkness, 
and  with  yells  like  a  maniac,  awakened  the  echoes  of 
the  ravine  up  which  he  pantingiy  made  his  way. 


"  UNCLE   SAMS        CABINS.  8l 

After  hours  of  objectless  wandering  and  racing 
through  the  woods  and  fields,  he  fell  exhausted  and 
breathless  at  the  door  of  a  cabin  similar  to  the  one 
occupied  by  his  mother. 

There,  at  daylight,  he  was  found  by  the  two  men 
who  occupied  the  hovel,  and  taken  in  to  the  fire, 
before  which  he  fell  into  a  troubled  sleep  which 
lasted  several  hours.  When  he  awoke  and  had  par- 
taken of  some  hot  corn  meal  porridge,  he  insisted  upon 
going  home,  knowing  how  anxious  his  mother  and  sis- 
ter would  be,  because  of  his  long  absence. 

The  men  who  lived  in  the  hut  were  tenants  of  the 
estate  and  old  friends  of  the  Hollisters.  Seeing  his 
weak  and  highly  excited  condition,  they  insisted  upon 
accompanying  him  to  his  home.  Thus  it  was  that 
some  demon  of  discord  hovering  over  the  district, 
brought  to  pass  the  meeting  of  the  disappointed  and 
infuriated  superintendent  and  the  desperate  tenant,  on 
the  road  leading  by  the  house  of  which,  Jack  Lawton 
had  secured  the  lease. 

As  Johnson  hurried  down  the  road,  he  saw  approach- 
ing the  three  men   Hollister  and  his   two   companions. 

In  the  frame  of  mind,  Johnson  was  then  in,  he  hailed 
with  delight,  an  opportunity  to  give  vent  with  impun- 
ity, to  the  wrath  that  was  boiling  within  his  bosom. 
As  the  tenants  saw  the  representative  of  their  power- 
ful landlord  draw  near,  they  respectfully  and  submis- 
sively stepped  aside,  giving  to  him  the  whole  road.  Or- 
dinarily, Johnson  would  have  passed  the  men  in  surly 
silence,  but  to-day,  he  was  suffering  from  rage  and  dis- 
appointment caused  by  those  whom  he  dared  not  at- 
tack, and  when  helpless  victims  opportunely  presented 
themselves,    he  gladly   availed    himself  of  the   chance 


82  "  UNCLE   SAM'S  "   CABINS. 

to  relieve  his  breast  surcharged  with  temper  and 
hatred. 

He  had  not  seen  Hollister  who  stood  behind  his  two 
companions,  leaning  from  weakness  and  fatigue 
upon  his  cudgel.  Johnson  stopped  opposite  the  men 
and  began  pouring  forth  a  flood  of  oaths  and  abuse 
upon  them.  As  he  raged  and  worked  his  passion  up  to 
the  point  of  explosion,  he  said  : 

"  You  miserable  hounds,  you  shall  sign  the  '  Bonds  ' 
or  starve,  curse  you  !  I  have  waited  and  hoped  for  this 
time,  you  lazy,  impudent  dogs  !  when  I  can  show  you 
the  merits  of  the  '  paddle  '  as  a  medicine  for  idle, 
would-be  freemen."  The  superintendent  paused  for 
an  instant  to  regain  breath,  when  the  older  of  the  two 
men  who  accompanied  Hollister  replied  : 

"  I  don't  see,  Mr.  Superintendent,  why  you  abuse  us 
so  violently.  We  tenants  of  the  district  have  only 
shown  a  very  natural  reluctance  to  surrender  the  free- 
dom once  common  to  all  men  in  this  country  ;  by  no 
crime  of  ours  are  we  brought  to  our  present  condition  ; 
we  simply  inherit  punishment  for  the  mistakes  of  our 
ancestors." 

"  Curse  upon  your  infernal  ancestors,"  yelled  John- 
son, his  face  red  with  rage.  "  I  have  heard  more  than 
enough  of  the  cant  of  Anderson  and  men  of  his  kind. 
When  I  get  you  where  I  want  you,  I'll  tear  every  inch 
of  skin  off  of  Anderson's  back,  for  talking  of  the  free- 
dom of  your  cursed  ancestors — that  they  ever  were 
anything  but  slaves  was  a  mistaken  kindness.  It  was  a 
blessing  to  the  poor,  ignorant  earth-grubbers  to  be  re. 
lieved  of  the  responsibility  of  freedom  and  wealth.  The 
only  pity  is  that  men  of  brains  and  wealth  ever  deemed 
it  necessary  to  resort  to  refined  methods  of  sophistical 


"   UNCLE   SAM'S  "    CABINS.  83 

argument  and  fallacious  doctrines  to  accomplish  an 
end,  which,  the  rifles  of  our  army  should  have  quickly 
brought  about.  Away  with  you,  insolent  clod-trampers 
that  you  are  !  " 

As  the  two  men  meekly  and  silently  hurried  away, 
Johnson  recognized  George  Hollister,  standing  pale 
and  quivering  with  anger.  The  insulting  language  of 
the  enraged  superintendent  had  electrified  Hollister 
with  artificial  strength  and  vigor.  Johnson,  seeing,  as 
he  supposed  a  triumphant  tenant,  who,  free  from  the 
danger  of  the  universal  enslavement  of  the  tenants  of 
the  estate,  was  gloating  over  his  (Johnson's)  chagrin, 
became  blindly  infuriated,  and  rushing  across  the  road, 
with  threatening  gestures,  yelled  : 

"You  impertinent  puppy  !  You  dare  stand  and  look 
at  me  in  triumph  because  you  have  escaped  becoming 
a  slave.  Young  Lawton  is  welcome  to  his  mistress. 
She  may  be  new  to  him,  but — cursed  wench  ! — she  is  an 
old  enough  plaything  of  the  balance  of  the  district. 
Your  canting,  praying,  hypocrite  of  a  mother  acts  as 
housekeeper  to  shield  the  clerical  character  of  her 
daughter's  friend.— You  hound  ! — -You  panderer  !  " 

Johnson,  had  he  not  been  blinded  by  his  fury,  would 
have  seen  that  George  Hollister  remained  petrified,  not 
with  fear,  but  with  immovable,  speechless  amazement, 
at  the  words  he  heard,  but  Johnson,  in  his  passion, 
was  heedless  of  the  look  of  the  man  to  whom  he  was  say- 
ing what  would  have  nerved  the  arm  of  infancy  or 
age,  raised  his  hand  and  struck  Hollister  in  the  face 
— then  it  was  as  if  the  full  meaning  of  Johnson's  words 
had  just  flashed  upon  his  paralyzed  senses.  Hollister, 
at  the  blow  in  the  face,  seemed  to  awake,  and  as  some 
mighty  flood,  suddenly  unchained  by  the    bursting  of 


84  "  UNCLE   SAM'S  "   CABINS. 

the  restraining  dam,  springs  resistlessly  upon  the  help- 
less valley,  so  the  pent  up  passion  breaking  from  the  al- 
most bursting  heart  of  Hollister,  seemed  to  give  to  his 
frail  form,  miraculous  power. 

With  a  shriek  of  unearthly  shrillness,  he  sprang  upon 
the  burly  superintendent  and  hurled  him  to  the 
ground — with  cries  in  sound  scarcely  human,  he  began 
to  break  in  the  skull  of  the  prostrate  man  with  the  heavy 
cudgel  which  he  carried,  nor  did  he  cease  to  yell  and 
belabor  the  senseless  mass  at  his  feet  until  the  crush- 
ing blows  were  stopped  by  the  two  men,  who,  return- 
ing, rushed  upon  Hollister  from  behind  and  seized  the 
club. 

Hollister  struggled  from  the  grasp  of  his  compan- 
ions, and  springing  back  to  the  still  form,  crushed  now 
out  of  all  semblance  of  the  man  who  so  recently  had 
stood  cursing  and  insulting  him,  the  avenger  bent  over 
him,  and  seeing  that  he  was  surely  dead,  sprang  to  his 
feet,  and  with  an  exultant  shout,  crying  out :  "  I  have 
killed  a  tyrant— I  can  but  die  !  "  darted  away  down  the 
road  and  into  the  woods. 

The  two  men  gazed  at  each  other  in  speechless  hor- 
ror, and  then  at  the  awful  object  lying  in  the  road.  At 
last  the  terrible  position  in  which  they  would  be  dis- 
covered, should  anyone  come  upon  them,  forced  them 
to  action.  Realizing  that  their  only  safety  lay  in  as 
quickly  as  possible,  making  the  crime  and  the  guilty 
party  known,  they  hastened  away  to  the  nearest  bar- 
rack of  soldiers  and  made  a  statement  of  the  whole 
matter  to  the  commanding  officer. 

Unfortunately  for  George  Hollister,  they  were  too 
far  away  from  Johnson  when  he  made  use  of  the  in- 
sulting language  to  Hollister — in  which  the  name    of 


'•UNCLE   SAM'S  "    CABINS.  85 

the  Proprietor's  son  occurred — to  hear  what  the  dead 
man  had  said  hence  the  provocation  for  the  killing  was 
unknown. 

A  party  of  soldiers  with  an  ambulance,  was  imme- 
diately dispatched  to  the  scene  of  the  murder,  to  bring 
the  body  to  the  barracks — at  the  same  time,  searching 
parties  were  ordered  out  in  every  direction  to  scour  the 
country  and  secure  the  murderer,  the  two  witnesses 
of  the  crime  being  confined  to  await  investigation. 

Hollister  had  not  intended  to  flee  from  the  conse- 
quences of  his  act,  when  he  ran  away  from  the  spot 
where  he  had  glutted  his  vengeance  for  the  insult  cast 
upon  him  and  his  family  by  his  fallen  foe.  This  more 
than  half-crazed  victim  of  a  century  old  wrong,  had  in 
the  moment  of  excitement  and  insanity,  sought  in 
flight,  an  antidote  for  the  straining,  throbbing  nerves 
which  like  red  hot  wires  seemed  to  have  pierced  his 
flesh  and  held  his  frame  in  torturing  embrace. 

When  the  first  detachment  of  soldiers  detailed  to 
capture  the  murderer,  reached  the  gate  of  the  enclosure 
surrounding  the  barracks,  they  found  leaning  exhausted, 
against  the  gatepost,  a  tattered,  haggard  man,  from 
whose  sunken  wild  eyes  the  light  of  reason  had  fled. 
In  a  hoarse  and  gasping  whisper,  he  said  :  "  I  am  George 
Hollister.  I  killed  the  superintendent,  he  lies  yonder 
in  the  road.  Now  take  and  kill  me,  death  will  be  more 
welcome  than  slavery." 

How  quickly  !  Oh,  Jack,  has  your  prophecy  of  the 
evil  fruit  that  would  spring  from  the  new  weed  of 
slavery,  been  verified  !  The  same  sun  that  looked  upon 
you  when  you  uttered  the  warning,  is  still  high  in  the 
heavens,  and  yet  so  quickly  has  confirmation  followed 
upon  the  heels  of  prediction,  that  the  man  who  heard 


86  "  UNCLE   SAM'S  "    CABINS. 

your  words  only  a  few  hours  ago,  then  in  lusty  health 
and  vigorous  activity,  now  lies  a  shapeless  mass  of 
human  flesh,  cold  and  forever  still  in  the  adamantine 
grasp  of  death. 

Another,  (your  old  playmate,  Jack,)  stands  yonder 
behind  those  iron  bars,  beneath  the  disgraceful  shadow 
of  a  gallows. 

But  the  saddest  picture  yet  is  there  beyond  the  hill, 
where  in  the  humble  hovel,  wait  and  watch  two  lonely 
women,  in  ignorance  of  the  coming  crushing  sorrow, 
that  shall  dash  the  cup  of  new-found  happiness  and 
hope  from  their  lips.  Anxiously  they  wait  to  share 
their  great  joy  with  him  who  has  shared  their  misery. 
Alas!  poor  mother.     Alas!  gentle  sister. 

Whispering  winds  murmuring  "  Murder,  Murder  !  " 
carry  the  awful  tidings  to  that  kind  heart  in  yonder 
mansion  on  the  hill !  Up  Jack,  and  away !  Speed  on 
the  wings  of  mercy!  Let  your  kind  voice  tell  the  ter- 
rible story,  and  your  loving  arms,  with  tender  care,  sup- 
port her,  whom  you  name  as  "  almost  foster  mother  " — 
tell  the  old,  ever  beautiful  story  of  Him  who  suffered 
and  whom  you  serve,  Jack,  brave  soldier,  when  in  de- 
spair the  heart-broken  sister  shall  cry  in  her  sorrow, 
"  How  long  oh,  Lord,  how  long !  " 


CHAPTER  IX. 

At  the  Lawton  mansion  Jack  had  been  busily  en- 
gaged in  making  preparations  for  his  removal  to  his 
new  home.  He  had  called  to  his  assistance,  his  old 
friend,  the  family  butler,  who,  in  his  anxiety  that  Jack 
should  begin  housekeeping  in  a  creditable  manner,  and 
determined  that  the  "  Parsonage,"  as  he  already  dubbed 
the  house  leased  by  the  young  parson,  should  lack  none 
of  the  comforts  of  the  later  years  of  the  twentieth 
century,  had  gathered  together  a  great  assortment  of 
household   furniture. 

Since  early  morning,  the  butler  and  his  assistants 
had  been  collecting  and  carrying  to  the  barn,  ready  for 
transportation  to  the  "  Parsonage,"  bedding  and  linen, 
carpets,  curtains,  crockery-ware,  cooking  utensils,  stoves, 
cutlery  and  such  household  fittings  as  in  the  nine- 
teenth century  had  been  easily  procurable  at  the  shops 
of  any  village  in  the  United  States.  To  the  great 
heap  of  such  articles  as  named,  was  added  a  variety  of 
all  kinds  of  provision,  refined  sugar,  coffee,  tea,  wheat 
flour,  cured  meats  and  canned  goods. 

It  was  well  for  young  Lawton,  that  his  old  friend  was 
so  thoughtful  and  anxious  for  his  material  welfare,  else 


88  "  UNCLE   SAM'S  "    CABINS. 

poor  Jack,  even  though  well  supplied  with  money,  had 
been  no  better  provided  with  the  comforts  (or  as  for- 
merly called,  the  necessities)  of  life,  than  the  poorest 
tenant  on  the  estate,  as  there  was  no  shop  or  store 
nearer  than  the  city  of  Cincinnati  on  the  one  side,  or 
the  city  of  Cleveland  on  the  other,  within  the  district, 
where  such  goods  could  be  purchased. 

With  the  increasing  poverty  in  the  agricultural 
sections  of  the  country,  the  inability  of  the  farmers  to 
buy  any  but  the  very  poorest  and  cheapest  articles,  had 
banished  from  the  village  shops,  everything,  except  the 
felt  garments  and  the  wooden  shoes  worn  by  the  men, 
and  the  coarse  woolen  stuff  of  which  the  women  made 
their  gowns. 

For  a  country  merchant  to  lay  in  a  stock  of 
goods  for  sale  in  the  rural  districts,  similar  to  the 
assortment  carried  by  all  village  storekeepers  in  the 
nineteenth  century,  would  have  been  as  absurd, 
(surrounded  as  they  were  by,  and  catering  to  the  needs 
of  a  population  of  paupers),  as  it  would  have  been,  back 
a  hundred  years  ago,  for  a  London  merchant  to  open  a 
branch  shop  in  the  back  country  district  of  Australia, 
and  offer  diamonds  and  laces  to  the  naked,  grub-worm 
eating,  black  barbarian  of  that  continent.  With,  as 
much  reason,  would  the  good  trader  in  the  latter  part 
of  the  twentieth  century  carry  in  stock,  white  blank- 
ets, leather  shoes,  china,  glassware  and  goods  of  like 
nature  for  the  farm-class,  as  in  the  nineteenth  century, 
a  merchant  would  have  sought  to  sell  pianos  to  the 
natives  of  Central  Africa. 

In  the  few  large  cities  of  America,  might  still  be 
found  at  the  few  shops  which  the  diminished  trade  man- 
aged to  sustain,  many  of  the  articles  which  had  been  in 
common    use   among  the  mass  of  the  people    in  the 


"UNCLE   SAM'S  "    CABINS.  89 

past  ;  but  the  demand  even  in  the  largest  cities,  where 
almost  the  entire  wealth  of  the  country  was  centralized, 
had  become  so  exceedingly  limited,  that,  except  by 
reason  of  some  sudden  and  unexpected  need,  the  land- 
lords and  other  wealthy  citizens  never  patronized  the 
domestic  shopman,  but  purchased  all  of  their  manufac- 
tured supplies  in  England,  where  a  larger  variety  of- 
fered greater  opportunity  for  selection. 

This  buying  in  Europe  was  rendered  all  the  more 
customary  and  usual,  by  reason  of  the  fact  that  annu- 
ally, all  the  people  of  position  and  consequence  owning 
property  in  America,  passed  many  months  in  their 
English  homes  or  Continental  villas,  where  they  had 
leisure  and  opportunity  to  provide  themselves  with 
such  articles  of  luxury  or  comfort,  as  they  would  re- 
quire during  their  brief  visits  to  their  American  estates. 

Of  course,  having  jewelers,  tailors,  dressmakers, 
mercers  and  haberdashers  in  Europe,  whom,  with  the 
increased  rapidity  of  transportation  across  the  ocean, 
they  could  reach  by  letter  or  in  person,  within  four 
days,  it  was  decidedly  more  desirable  to  secure  goods 
for  their  use  there,  as  in  variety,  quality  and  price,  the 
American  dealers  were  unable  to  compete  with  their 
more  prosperous  competitors. 

With  the  gradual  decay  of  the  prosperity  of  the  far- 
mers, (consequently  of  three-fifths  of  the  people  of 
America,)  brought  about  as  it  had  been,  by  the  neces- 
sity of  selling  the  product  of  the  land  in  competition 
with  every  nation  on  earth,  at  the  low  prices  which 
necessarily  followed  such  competition,  and,  at  the  same 
time,  preserving  the  obligation  under  which  the  whole 
American  people  rested,  to  foster  and  build  up  the 
manufacturing  interest  of  the  United  States,  by  guard- 


90  "uncle  sam's"  cabins. 

ing  it  from  the  competition,  which  farmers  experienced 
in  the  sale  of  the  product  of  their  labor,  the  people 
engaged  or  directly  dependent  upon  the  fruits  of  the 
soil  in  farming  (that  is,  the  three-fifths  of  the  whole 
population)  became  so  impoverished  and  reduced  in 
the  attempt  of  the  government  to  guard  and  protect 
manufacturing  in  America,  that  finally,  the  farmers,  or 
three-fifths,  had  no  money  nor  anything  else,  to  ex- 
change for  the  articles  or  goods  manufactured  in 
America.  Hence  the  village  stores  had  no  demand  for 
anything  except  the  very  commonest  and  cheapest 
goods,  and  therefore  the  country  shopkeepers  were 
obliged  to  cease  buying  from  the  merchants  in  the  large 
towns  scattered  over  the  once  States  of  the  Union. 

As  trade  ceased  in  the  villages,  gradually  the  build- 
ings and  stores  became  tenantless  and  fell  into  a 
decayed  and  ruinous  condition.  As  the  village  store- 
keepers could  buy  nothing  from  the  larger  towns,  such 
as  Columbus  of  the  former  State  of  Ohio,  and  Peoria 
of  the  almost  forgotten  State  of  Illinois  had  been,  those 
towns  became  deserted  by  all  of  the  wealthy  class — 
landlords,  capitalists  and  the  like — who  sought  naturally 
the  great  centres  of  wealth,  where  the  comforts  of  life 
could  be  obtained,  because  with  the  absence  of  the 
trade  of  the  village  storekeepers  and  the  farmers  of  the 
surrounding  section,  the  merchants  of  the  larger  towns 
were  no  longer  able  to  supply  the  tastes  of  those  few 
who  had  money  to  spend. 

With  the  decadence  of  the  farmer-class,  the  village 
store,  and  country  village,  came  the  rapid  destruction 
of  the  prosperity  of  the  larger  towns. 

While  the  metropolitan  cities  of  New  York,  Chicago 
and  a  few   others  still    retained    lingering  evidences  of 


"UNCLE   SAM'S "     CABINS.  91 

their  departing  grandeur,  and  some  opportunities  for 
the  gratification  of  cultivated  tastes,  still,  these  once 
magnificent  cities  had  suffered  almost  as  markedly  as 
villages  and  towns. 

The  laws  made  for  the  purpose  of  fostering  the  manu- 
facturing interests  in  America,  had.  caused  the  erection 
of  a  large  number  of  factories  in  or  near  the  metro- 
politan cities,  as  at  the  great  centres,  better  facilities 
for  transportation  were  offered  than  elsewhere. 

Naturally  the  metropolitan  cities  became  the  places 
of  residence  for  the  wealthy  owners  of  the  factories, 
who  were  enabled  to  indulge  their  cultivated  tastes,  in 
the  purchase  of  comforts  and  luxuries,  which  greatly 
benefitted  the  traders  in  the  large  cities — the  large 
profits  accruing  to  manufacturers  in  America,  resulting 
from  the  monopoly  held  by  them  in  all  manufactured 
articles  consumed  in  the  country,  furnished  immense 
incomes. 

When,  by  reason  of  poverty,  the  farmers  ceased  to 
purchase  from  the  village  storekeepers — the  village 
storekeepers  could  no  longer  buy  from  the  jobbers  in 
the  larger  towns  of  the  former  States,  then  the  jobbers 
in  the  towns  no  longer  bought  of  the  jobbers  and 
manufacturers'  agents  in  the  metropolitan  cities. 

With  no  longer  a  demand  from  metropolitan  job- 
bers and  their  own  agents,  the  owners  of  the  factories 
were  obliged  to  suspend  operations,  and  cease  manu- 
facturing goods  which  no  longer  had  a  sale. 

Thus  the  operation  of  the  very  laws,  in  the  making 
of  which,  the  owners  of  factories  had  put  forth  their 
most  strenuous  efforts,  was  to  kill  the  goose  which  laid 
the  golden  eggs. 

True,  many  men    of   intelligence  engaged  in  manu- 


cj2  '-UNCLE   SAM'S"   CABINS. 

facturing  goods  in  America,  had,  at  the  time  of  the 
enactment  of  the  laws  which  imposed  a  tribute  upon 
the  agriculturists  of  the  country  for  the  benefit  of  the 
manufacturers,  recognized  the  disastrous  tendency  of 
such  laws,  but  upon  every  agitation  for  the  repeal  of 
the  prosperity-killing  legislation,  they  had  zealously 
opposed  reformation,  hoping  either  to  secure  enough 
in  shape  of  salvage  out  of  the  wreck  of  the  Ship  of 
State  and  the  destruction  of  its  crew  of  producers,  from 
the  soil,  to  insure  their  own  safety  on  that  desert 
island  of  ruin  towards  which,  the  good  ship  was  rapidly 
drifting — or  else,  in  the  selfishness  of  their  souls,  they 
had  said  in  the  language  of  a  profligate  French  king: 
"  It  will  last  my  time." 

A  few  men  (and  for  the  honor  of  the  American  name, 
be  it  said  the  number  was  exceedingly  small),  seeing  the 
coming  degradation  to  serfdom  of  the  farmers,  had  pro- 
claimed in  their  pride  of  wealth  and  power :  "  A  toiler 
in  the  earth  is  of  the  earth,  earthy,  and  deserves  no 
better  than  the  dirt  upon  which  we  tread  and  spit." 

The  linked  chain  of  disaster  reached  at  last  the 
manufacturers  and  the  large  cities,  in  which,  their 
factories  were  located,  and  where  they  had  residences, 
for,  with  the  stoppages  of  the  large  profits  from  the 
sale  of  the  products  of  factories,  came  the  end  of  the 
tremendous  incomes,  for  which,  America  was  famous  in 
the  latter  part  of  the  nineteenth  century. 

A  great  part  of  these  large  incomes  had  been  used 
to  gratify  all  kinds  of  luxurious  and  expensive  tastes, 
"  fads"  and  artificial  needs — in  the  gratification  of 
which,  a  host  of  non-producers  had  been  supported  in 
the  metropolitan  cities,  where  magnificent  structures 
raised  their  imposing  grandeur  to  the  sky,  occupied  by 


"  UNCLE    SAM  S       CABINS.  93 

dealers  in  all  manner  of  extravagant  and  luxurious 
wares,  beside  which,  the  stock  of  the  panderers  to  the 
wildly  dissolute  habits  and  tastes  of  the  the  nobles  of 
Roman  Empire  just  prior  to  the  fall  of  that  nation, 
would  have  seemed  insignificant. 

Grand  edifices,  were  seen  in  every  direction,  in  the 
great  cities,  in  which  were  found  the  palatial  apartments 
of  the  manicure,  chiropodist,  riding-master,  portrait 
painter,  musician,  dancing-master,  mesmerist,  and  a  host 
of  men  and  women  engaged  in  all  imaginable  useless 
and  non-productive  occupations.  They  were  supported 
by  the  money  derived  from  the  profits  made  upon  the 
home  consumption  of  guarded  manufactured  goods, 
large  sums  of  money  being  spent  by  the  fortunate 
possessors  of  the  immense  incomes  resulting  annually 
from  monopolies,  in  their  efforts  to  dispel  the  distress- 
ing idleness  and  ennui  which  oppressed  them. 

When,  however,  the  goose  (the  farmer)  was  killed 
that  laid  the  golden  eggs — the  orange  sucked  dry  and 
only  the  skin  remained — the  large  incomes  ceased  to 
materialize,  the  "  magnificent  structures  and  grand  edi- 
fices lost  their  tenants  for  lack  of  patronage,  resulting  in 
lack  of  money,  with  which  to  pay  rent.  Hence  in  the 
metropolitan  cities,  vacant  sky  piercing  buildings  reared 
their  heads  as  monuments  only,  of  the  blindness  of  the 
promoters,  of  the  poverty  of  the  nation. 

With  the  end  of  the  demand  for  manufactured 
goods  from  the  poverty-stricken,  non-manufacturing,  un- 
guarded agriculturists,  came  the  closing  of  the  factories, 
and  armies  of  unemployed  mechanics,  mill  operators 
artisans  and  laborers  were  let  loose  upon  the  commu- 
nity. 

This,    (strange  as    it  now   appears),   was    the  most 


94  "  UNCLE   SAM  S  "    (  A.BINS. 

astonishing  and  unexpected  result  of  the  laws  made, 
for  the  benefit  of  the  American  laborers,  mechanics 
and  artisans — the  very  men  cast  out  of  work  by  the 
poverty  of  the  farm-class.  The  now  unemployed  labor- 
ers and  mechanics,  in  absolute  misery,  distress  and 
destitution,  unfit  to  produce  anything  from  the  soil 
(not  having  any  experience  in  farm  life,)  were  more 
amazed  than  any  other  class  of  sufferers  at  realizing 
that  the  laws,  to  maintain  which,  they  had  been,  so 
persistently  and  selfishly,  voting  and  working,  had 
resulted  in  killing  the  only  customer  or  purchaser,  they 
had  for  the  products  of  their  labor. 

The  laws  which  had  secured  them  the  monopoly  of 
that  one  customer's  trade  and  eventually  killed  even  that 
one,  had  also  absolutely  prevented  the  possibility  of  their 
securing  any  but  the  one  customer — -because  by  raising 
the  price  of  every  material  or  article  used  by  laborers, 
mechanics  and  artisans,  in  the  manufacture  of  the  prod- 
ucts of  their  labor,  to  prevent  farmers  from  buying 
from  any  other  laborers,  mechanics  and  artisans — they 
had  so  burdened  with  increased  cost  everything 
they  produced,  that  they  could  not  compete  in  the 
sale  of  manufactured  goods  with  the  laborers,  mechan- 
ics and  artisans  of  other  nations. 

The  American  laborers  and  mechanics  were 
obliged  to  pay  such  enormous  prices  for  the  supplies 
used  by  themselves,  and  such  exorbitant  rents  for  their 
homes — in  their  struggle  to  keep  beyond  the  reach  of 
the  people  of  America,  the  supplies  offered  by  the  me- 
chanics and  laborers  of  other  countries — that  the  Amer- 
ican mechanics  were  unable  to  work  for  the  low  wages 
of  European  workmen — they  were  forced  to  demand 
high  wages  to  be  able   to  live   in  America.     But,  even 


"UNCLE   SAM'S  "    CABINS.  95 

during  the  time  of  the  gradually  bleeding  to  death  of 
the  American  farmers,  when  the  laborers  and  mechan- 
ics obtained  the  high  wages,  they  were  unable  to  save 
anything.  It  all  had  to  be  returned  to  landlords  and 
manufacturers  in  form  of  rents  and  profits  on  manu- 
factured supplies. 

When  the  demand  from  the  American  agriculturists 
ceased — the  process  of  bleeding  having  finally  ex- 
hausted all  the  blood  of  the  subject,  his  very  skeleton 
being  denuded  of  every  atom  of  factory-sustaining 
flesh — then  the  laborers  and  mechanics  in  their  frantic 
and  unthinking  efforts,  like  a  drowning  man  grasping 
at  a  straw,  sought  to  seize  the  trade  in  manufactured 
goods  of  the  English  laborers  and  mechanics,  who 
were  busy,  prosperous  and  happy,  making  goods  for 
the  South  American,  African  and  Asiatic  markets. 

Then  were  the  American  laborers  and  mechanics  con- 
fronted with  the  practical  absurdity  and  fallacy  of  the 
theory  upon  which  they  had  hoped  to  build  their  own 
selfish  prosperity, — the  Englishmen  were  amused  and 
ignored  their  puerile  attempts  at  competition  in  other 
than  the  markets  of  the  United  States — the  cost  to  the 
American  to  produce  anything  manufactured  was  so 
great  that  it  was  out  of  the  question  to  compete  with 
the  English. 

From  the  coal  to  heat  the  furnace  in  the  factory  to 
the  sugar  in  the  cup  of  coffee  at  breakfast,  every  item 
of  cost  in  manufacturing  and  living,  was  dearer  in  the 
United  States.  In  killing,  bleeding  to  death  by  mo- 
nopolies, their  one  class  of  customers — the  American 
farmers — the  laborers  and  mechanics  saw,  when  at 
last,  idle,  homeless  and  starving,  and  too  late — that 
they  had  destroyed  themselves,  for  they  had  created  a 


Q6  "  UNCLE   SAM'S  "   CABINS. 

condition  that  prevented  the  securing  of  any  other 
purchasers  for  the  product  of  their  labor. 

By  reason  of  this  idleness  and  poverty  of  the  la- 
borers and  mechanics,  vast  numbers  of  tenement 
houses,  buildings  and  shops,  occupied  and  supported  in 
the  metropolitan  cities  by  the  laborers  and  mechanics, 
were  now  vacant  and  in  ruins,  deserted  by  all  save 
half  starved  rats  and  other  vermin.  Large  districts  of 
New  York  city,  Chicago  and  other  once  splendid  Amer- 
ican cities  were  now  as  silent  and  deserted  as  grave- 
yards, affording  only  dens  for  tramps,  robbers  and 
night-prowlers. 

The  depreciation  and  total  loss  of  value  in  such  real 
estate,  the  collapse  of  the  manufacturing  interests  in 
the  United  States,  the  disappearance  of  capital  in- 
vested in  factories,  and  industrial  enterprises,  the  al- 
most total  abandonment  of  many  railroads,  and  the 
general  termination  of  business  and  prosperity  in 
America,  together  with  the  ever-increasing  concen- 
tration of  the  wealth  remaining,  into  fewer  hands,  by 
reason  of  the  (now  recognized  by  law)  Family  Com- 
pact, had  so  reduced  the  ranks  of  possible  purchasers 
of  anything,  but  the  most  coarse  and  crude  articles  of 
convenience  and  sustenance,  that  even  in  the  large 
American  cities,  it  would  have  been  a  difficult  matter, 
as  we  have  said  before, — to  obtain  a  collection  of 
useful  and  luxurious  articles,  such  as  the  Proprietor's 
butler  had  gathered  for  Jack's  use  in  his  future  resi- 
dence. 

As  the  young  clergyman  inspected  the  vast  mass  of 
goods  with  which  the  barn  floor  was  covered,  his  face 
fairly  beamed  with  delightful  anticipation  of  the  pleas- 
ure, it  would   afford  Mary  and   her   mother  to  be  sur- 


"  UNCLE   SAM'S  "    CABINS.  97 

rounded  by  so  many  comforts.  The  old  butler  stood 
by,  enjoying  the  triumph  of  his  efforts,  in  seeing  the 
happiness  of  the  favorite  son  of  the  Lawton  family, 
as  Jack — in  the  exuberance  of  the  boyish  spirit  which 
he  had  not  outgrown,  and  which  would  break  forth  in 
his  intercourse  with  his  old  friends  of  boyhood  days — 
threw  his  arms  around  the  thoroughly  delighted  old 
man, — and  hugging  him  in  his  bear-like  embrace, 
giving  many  roughly  affectionate  pats  upon  the  old 
fellow's  back,  exclaimed 

"  Bless  my  soul  !  You  old  jewel  of  a  provider  !  I 
won't  require  to  send  to  England  for  anything  in  ten 
years.  But,  you  dear  old  rascal,  I  believe  that  you 
have  cleared  the  mansion  of  everything  in  it.  Have 
you  left  my  father  and  Henry  anything  to  eat,  drink, 
wear  or  sleep  upon,  in  the  house  ?  " 

With  many  jolly  explosions  of  laughter,  in  which 
Jack  joined  with  the  hearty  happiness  of  a  schoolboy, 
the  old  butler  protested  his  honesty,  and  vowed  that 
he  had  exercised  great  moderation,  as  at  one  time,  he 
had  seriously  contemplated  removing  the  highly  prized 
and  exclusive  dressing-case  of  the  Proprietor  himself, 
and  that  he  really  deserved  great  credit  for  the  for- 
bearance he  had  exhibited  in  leaving  the  family  plate 
and  portraits  in  the  mansion. 

While  thus  engaged  in  examining  his  stores  and 
joking  with  the  old  servant  who  had  trotted  him  on 
his  knee,  many  a  journey  to  "  Banbury  Cross,"  when 
he  was  a  baby,  Jack  caught  the  sound  of  horse's  hoofs 
coming  at  a  furious  pace  down  the  road.  Both  he 
and  the  butler  ran  out  of  the  barn,  and  saw  dashing  up 
the  avenue  to  the  front  door  of  the  mansion,  a  mounted 
soldier,  riding  at  the  top  speed  of  his  horse. 


98  "UNCLE   SAM'S  "    CABINS. 

Jack  hurried  to  meet  him,  as  he  knew,  unless 
something  very  unusual  had  happened,  the  command- 
ing officer  of  the  troops  in  the  district  would  not  have 
disturbed  in  such  an  unceremonious  manner,  the  tran- 
quillity of  the  home  of  the  great  Proprietor.  As  the 
soldier  dashed  up  to  the  door  and  dismounted,  Jack 
reached  his  side  and  asked  : 

"  What  is  the  matter?     Why  such  haste  ?  " 

The  trooper,  taking  an  envelope  from  his  pocket,  said 
that  he  was  ordered  to  deliver  it  as  quickly  as  his  horse 
could  carry  him,  to  the  Proprietor.  The  butler  by 
this  time  having  reached  Jack's  side,  said  to  the  sol- 
dier, whom  he  had  met  before,  that  he  would  conduct 
him  to  the  Proprietor,  and  as  they  mounted  the  stairs, 
followed  by  the  young  clergyman,  the  old  man  added 
— "  the  gentleman  who  asked  the  reason  of  so  much 
haste,  is  a  son  of  the  Proprietor." 

The  trooper,  half  way  up  the  steps,  turned  and  said 
to  Jack  : 

"  I  beg  your  pardon,  sir.  I  can  tell  you  this  much 
without  disobeying  my  order.  The  superintendent 
has  been  murdered  and  we  have  his  murderer  locked 
up.     His  name  is  Hollister  and  he  is  one " 

Jack  had  not  waited  for  the  balance  of  the  messen- 
ger's news.  With  the  exclamation — "  Merciful  God, — 
help  Mollie  !  "  he  sprang  down  the  stairs  in  one  leap,  and 
as  he  vaulted  into  the  saddle  just  left  by  the  bearer  of 
the  ill  tidings,  he  called  out  to  the  surprised  butler: 
"  Jackson,  give  the  soldier  my  horse!"  Driving  his 
heels  into  the  sides  of  the  soldier's  steed,  he  rode  down 
the  avenue  at  racing  speed. 

The  trooper,  struck  dumb  for  a  moment  by  this  sud- 
den action,  at  last  recovered  sufficiently  to  say  : "  Well, 


"UNCLE    SAM'S  "    CABINS.  99 

that's  cool  !  Running  away  with  my  horse  and  getting 
me  into  a  lot  of  trouble  at  headquarters." 

Jackson  watched  in  silence  the  fast  disappearing 
steed  and  rider,  until  he  saw  them  turn  down  the  road 
toward  the  cabin  where  lived  Mary  Hollister ;  then  he 
said  half  aloud,  as  if  uttering  what  he  had  been  think- 
ing: "Yes,  I  knew  it,"  and  addressing  the  mili- 
tary figure  beside  him,  said  :  "  My  friend,  the  man  who 
took  your  horse  is  the  Reverend  Jack  Lawton,  the  best 
and  truest  man  on  earth.  The  man  who  killed  the  su- 
perintendent is  an  old  playmate  of  his  when  he  was  a 
boy,  and  that  noble  fellow  seized  your  horse,  to  hurry 
to  the  widowed  mother  and  sister  of  Hollister,  to  pre- 
vent the  news  of  their  trouble  coming  unkindly  and 
harshly  to  them.  Such  a  man  is  not  apt  to  let  you  suffer 
for  his  act." 

The  soldier  looked  at  old  Johnson  for  a  moment  and 
said  :  "  I'm  willing  to  take  my  chances  on  him,  old  fel- 
low, he  is  welcome  to  the  horse.  By  Jove  !  how  he 
does  ride  !  He  would  have  made  a  great  cavalry  sol- 
dier." 

Yes. — Man  of  the  uniform,  in  time  of  war,  Jack 
Lawton  would  have  proven  himself  a  grand  soldier,  for 
he  never  would  have  said  "  Go  "  where,  he  was  unwilling 
to  lead — where  blows  were  the  thickest,  there  would 
have  been  his  place  in  war — as  now  where  trouble  and 
sorrow  are  greatest,  as  a  soldier  of  the  Cross,  he  deems 
that,  his  post  of  duty. 


CHAPTER  X. 

AFTER  racing  along  for  a  mile  or  two,  Jack  pulled  his 
horse  down  to  a  gentle  trot,  and  at  last,  when  in  sight 
of  the  hovel  occupied  by  the  Hollisters,  to  a  walk,  and 
thus  approached  the  doorway,  where  he  was  welcomed 
by  Mary  and  her  mother,  their  happiness  at  the  pros- 
pect of  an  early  and  permanent  removal  to  their  old 
home,  marred  only  by  the  long  unexplained  absence 
of  George. 

Jack  Lawton  was  probably  the  poorest  actor  on  the 
face  of  the  earth,  and  his  woeful  failure  in  trying  to 
play  the  hypocritical  part,  in  his  cheerful  greeting  of 
Mary  and  Mrs.  Hollister,  was  apparent  at  once  to  both 

women. 

As  he  entered  the  poor  place  and  looked  around 
at  the  miserable  surroundings  of  the  women,  and 
thought  of  the  years  of  hopelessness  and  misery 
they  had  already  endured,  and  then  of  what  additional 
trials  were  in  the  future  for  them,  he  was  unable  to  sup- 
press the  groan  that  arose  from  his  heart  to  his  lips.  He 
still  held  the  hand  that  Mrs.  Hollister  had  given  him 
when  he  dismounted  at  the  door.  Picking  up  one  of  the 
stools  he  placed  it  close  to  another  and  said  : 


"UNCLE   SAM'S  "    CABINS.  IOI 

"  Sit  down,  my  kind  old  friend,  I  want  to  sit  close 
beside  you  ;  Mollie,  come  over  and  join  us.  I  feel 
rather  blue  to-day  and  I  want  to  do  as  we  used  to 
when  we  were  little  chaps  and  in  trouble — all  get  close 
around  your  mother's  knee  for  comfort  and  support." 

Mary  Hollister — to  whom,  as  a  child,  any  of  Jack's 
most  trivial  troubles  were  really  immense  affairs,  had 
now  that  she  was  a  woman,  lost  none  of  the  keen  sym- 
pathy for  the  man,  which  she  had  felt  as  a  child,  for 
the  boy,  believing  that  anything  that  could  trouble 
him  was  of  a  most  serious  nature — came  quickly  and 
seated  herself  close  to  her  mother. 

Mrs.  Hollister,  notwithstanding  a  feeling  of  appre- 
hension at  Jack's  sober  manner,  could  not  restrain  the 
smile  which  lighted  up  her  poor  wan  face,  as  she  re- 
called the  rosy  boy,  who  came  with  some  bruise  or  cut, 
clamoring  for  help  to  her,  now  transformed  into  the 
splendid  man  holding  her  hand  and  repeating  the  sen- 
timent of  the  little  motherless  fellow  years  ago. 

"You  know,"  said  Jack,  "  when  I  was  a  little  shaver, 
I  used  to  call  you  '  Mother,  my  dear,'  because  I  heard 
George  and  Mollie  do  so,  and  you  treated  me  just  as 
you  did  them,  so  that  I  think  I  shall  resume  my  old 
name  for  you,  dear  mother,  as  I  find  myself  a  good 
deal  of  a  boy  still,  and  I  want  you  to  love  me  just  the 
same  as  you  did  when  I  was  really  a  boy." 

"  Well,  Jack,"  said  Mrs.  Hollister,  "  I  do  love  you 
as  one  of  my  own  children,  and  I  am  proud  and  happy 
to  have  you  say  that  time  has  not  diminished  your  af- 
fection for  me.  God  knows  how  grateful  I  am  for 
your  great  kindness,  my  dear  boy,  and  how  I  pray  that 
He  will  bless  you." 

"  Mother,"    said    Jack,    interrupting    the    speaker, 


102  "UNCLE   SAM'S  "    CABINS. 

"  when  I  was  a  small  boy,  you  taught  me  my  prayers, 
along  with  George  and  Mollie  ;  feeling  as  I  do  to-day, 
I  want  you  to  hear  me  say  prayers  again,  now  that  I 
am  a  man,  and  the  God  to  whom  my  prayers  will  be 
addressed,  knows  how  heartfelt  they  are." 

The  color  had  gradually  left  Mary's  face,  as  she  lis- 
tened and  looked  at  Jack's  earnest  eyes,  until  it  had 
become  as  white  as  the  bosom  of  a  swan,  when  she 
said,  slipping  from  the  stool  upon  which  she  was  seated, 
to  her  knees  : 

"  Yes,  mother,  let  us  join  Mr.  Jack  once  again,  as  of 
old,  in  addressing  the  Throne  of  God." 

The  most  beautiful  music  ever  heard,  is  the  music  of 
a  strong,  melodious,  masculine  voice  addressing  the  Al- 
mighty Maker  of  mankind,  and  Jack  Lawton's  voice 
was  fashioned  to  fit  the  man,  each  tone  filled  as  it  was 
with  the  deep  devotion  of  his  soul.  His  prayer  to  the 
God  of  all  mercies,  rang  out  in  sonorous  notes,  and 
echoed  in  the  dimly  lighted  hovel,  surpassing  the  swell- 
ing sound  of  the  grandest  organ  in  the  vaulted  dome 
of  the  greatest  cathedral. 

The  words  of  his  prayer  were  taught  by  no  book, 
nor  ruled  by  any  form  ;  his  heart  was  his  prayer-book, 
and  sympathy  alone  controlled  each  figure  of  speech. 
He  prayed  for  strength  for  all  in  trouble.  He  pleaded 
for  mercy  for  those  who  had  suffered  much,  and  long. 
Oh,  Jack  !  God  heard  you,  for  he  softened  the  blow  that 
must  fall  upon  those,  for  whom  you  pray,  by  putting 
words  into  your  mouth  which  prepared  them  for  the 
coming  stroke. 

And  when  at  last  the  prayer  was  ended, and  the  women 
arose  with  white  and  tear-stained  faces,  and  the  trem- 
bling mother  asks, — "  What  is  it  that  George  has  done  ?  " 


'•UNCLE   SAM'S"    CABINS.  I03 

— it  was  that  same  ever-watchful  God,  dear  Jack,  who 
taught  you  how  to  help  that  heartbroken  mother  to 
sustain  the  heavy  burden  of  calamity  placed  upon  her. 
You  whispered  words  of  consolation,  hope  and  faith  in 
the  goodness  of  God  to  her.  Your  arms  supported  her 
when,  at  last,  overburdened  nature  succumbed,  and  she 
would  have  fallen  to  the  earthen  floor  of  the  cabin. 

Jack  carried  Mrs.  Hollister  to  the  rude  shelf  which 
she  had  used  as  a  bed,  and  with  the  assistance  of  the 
weeping  Mary,  revived  her  from  the  deathlike  swoon 
into  which  she  had  fallen.  While  thus  engaged,  the 
tramp  of  horses  was  heard  by  them,  and  a  heavy  blow 
upon  the  door,  announced  a  visitor  of  peremptory  char- 
acter. Jack,  upon  opening  the  door,  found  himself  in 
the  presence  of  an  officer  and  a  file  of  soldiers.  The 
officer,  seeing  a  clergyman,  and  evidently  a  gentle- 
man, said : 

"  I  am  ordered  to  search  this  hovel,  sir,  to  find  if 
there  exists  any  evidence  of  a  plot  for  an  insurrection. 
The  killing  of  the  superintendent  has  aroused  a  suspi- 
cion in  the  minds  of  those  in  authority  that  the  mur- 
der was  only  one  step  in  a  plot,  concerning  which,  evi- 
dence could  be  found  by  an  examination  of  this  hut." 

Jack,  going  out  to  the  officer,  said  :  "  Lieutenant,  (for 
that  I  judge  to  be  your  rank,)  that  you  are  a  gentleman  I 
know  from  your  manner  ;  then,  I  wish,  as  one  gentleman 
addressing  himself  to  another,  to  beg  a  favor.  My  name 
is  John  Lawton.  I  am  the  youngest  son  of  the  Proprie- 
tor, and  am  a  clergyman.  The  man  who  killed  Johnson 
was  my  old  playmate  ;  the  women  in  this  cabin  are  my 
dearest  friends  ;  the  mother  of  Hollister  lies,  I  fear, 
dying,  as  the  result  of  this  terrible  act  of  her  son. 
To  intrude  now,  upon  the  suffering  woman  by  search- 


104  "UNCLE    SAMS       CABINS. 

ing  the  premises,  would  probably  mean  death  for  her. 
Will  you,  as  a  favor,  defer  this  search  until  to-morrow 
morning,  leaving  a  guard  to  see  that  nothing  is  re- 
moved, except  the  two  women  and  their  clothing, 
these  I  desire  to  take  to  my  own  house,  but,  with 
whom,  I  pledge  my  sacred  word  of  honor,  nothing 
shall  leave  the  house  that  would  in  any  way,  be  con- 
nected with  a  plot?  " 

"  Well,"  replied  the  officer,  after  some  hesitation, 
"  while  my  orders  were  to  examine  into  the  matter  and, 
make  a  thorough  investigation,  I  think  I  can  oblige 
you,  Mr.  Lawton,"  saying  which,  he  gave  the  necessary 
orders,  and  leaving  one  man  as  a  guard,  rode  away  with 
his  detachment. 

Jack,  seeing  a  tenant's  lad  passing  along  the  road, 
called  to  him,  and  dispatched  a  note  to  Jackson,  the  old 
butler,  asking  him  to  harness  a  team  to  a  carriage 
and  drive  it  himself  to  the  hut  of  the  Hollisters.  While 
Jack  waited  for  the  coming  of  the  carriage,  he  instructed 
Mary  to  get  all  of  the  things  which  she  desired  to  carry 
to  their  new  home  ready,  and  explained  to  her  the 
necessity  for  removing  her  mother. 

When  the  carriage  arrived  it  was  late  in  the  night, 
but  so  anxious  was  Jack  that  Mrs.  Hollister  should  be 
taken  away  from  the  scene  of  so  much  misery  to  her, 
that  he  insisted  upon  an  instant  moving  to  the  house 
of  which  he  held  the  lease.  With  Jackson's  assistance 
the  hut  was  soon  stripped  of  all  that  would  be  of  use  to 
Mary  and  her  mother,  and  Mrs.  Hollister  placed  in  the 
carriage  with  Mary,  Jack  preceding  them,  riding  the 
horse  he  had  seized,  as  related. 

When  morning  came  it  found  Mrs.  Hollister  resting 
in  her  old  room,  in   the  old  home,  endeared  to  her  by 


"  UNCLE   SAM  S        CABINS.  I05 

memories  of  the  past.  Mary  seemed  to  soar  upon  the 
wings  of  each  new  sorrow  to  greater  heights  of  self- 
sacrifice  and  unselfishness.  For  her  mother's  sake,  she 
had  crushed  down  her  own  heartache  and  grief,  and 
was  intent  only  upon  the  relief  and  comfort  of  her 
almost  dying  parent. 

Jack  Lawton,  with  the  old  butler  helping  him,  col- 
lected all  of  the  papers  and  property  of  Johnson,  the 
dead  superintendent,  and  stored  them  away  in  one 
room,  out  of  the  sight  of  the  women,  to  whom  any- 
thing belonging  to  the  dead  man,  would  recall  the 
painful  fact  of  the  tragedy  by  which,  they  had  been 
hurled  from  the  pinnacle  of  their  newly  found  happi- 
ness to  the  depths  of  despair. 

■&  'Jf  •$%■  7T  ■&  "X" 

When  the  tenants  first  learned  of  the  murder  of  the 
superintendent  by  George  Hollister,  the  fear  of  being 
connected  in  some  manner  with  a  crime,  which  they 
knew  that  the  policy  of  the  landed  Proprietors  all  over 
the  land,  would  follow  with  condign  punishment,  kept 
them  away  from  the  poor  mother  and  sister  ;  however, 
the  hearts  of  the  tenants  were  filled  with  that  sym- 
pathy that  is  ever  found  among  the  poor,  for  the 
suffering  and  sorrow  of  those  among  them  in  the  hour 
of  affliction. 

When  the  Rossmores  heard,  as  they  did  during 
the  night,  that  Jack  Lawton,  the  Proprietor's  own 
son,  had  not  deserted  the  family  of  the  accused,  but 
like  a  champion  of  the  weak  in  the  days  of  chivalry, 
offered  the  protection  of  his  name,  influence  and  home 
to  the  forlorn  women,  they  hastened  to  express  to  the 
sufferers  their  sympathy,  and  with  the  first  rays  of  the 
morning  sun,  went  to  the  "  Parsonage  "  to  offer  any 
assistance  in  their  power. 


io6  "UNcle  sam's"  cabins. 

Rossmore  and  his  wife  were  both  old  acquaintances 
of  Jack's  and  he  gave  them  a  hearty  welcome,  ex- 
plaining the  necessity  of  his  at  once  seeing  George 
Hollister,  and  the  commander  of  the  Federal 
soldiers  in  the  district,  to  explain  the  seizure  of  the 
trooper's  horse,  and  how  reluctant  he  had  been  to 
leave  the  helpless  women  alone  and  unprotected,  as 
he  had  sent  Jackson  to  the  mansion  to  hurry  the  tran- 
sportation of  the  property  selected  by  the  good  old 
servant  for  Jack's  use  in  the  home,  he  had  secured. 
Rossmore  and  his  wife  gladly  volunteered  to  stay  and 
take  charge  of  the  house,  doing  such  things  as  the  cir- 
cumstances suggested  during  Jack's  absence,  who,  as 
he  mounted  the  cavalryman's  steed,  said : 

"  Rossmore,  I  will  stand  between  you  and  harm,  in 
anything  you  may  do  to  prevent  rude  intrusion  upon 
the  sorrow  of  those  I  leave  in  your  care." 

When  Jack  arrived  at  the  barracks,  he  gave  his  name, 
and  urged  the  officer  of  the  guard  to  take  his  card  at 
once  to  the  commandant  of  the  post,  who  promptly 
requested  him  to  join  the  officers  in  the  mess-room. 
Jack  explained  the  capture  of  the  soldier's  horse,  exon- 
erating the  man  from  all  blame  in  the  matter.  His  par- 
don was  easily  obtained,  as  the  Proprietor  of  a  District 
was  of  such  a  commanding  position  in  the  administra- 
tion of  the  now  thoroughly  centralized  Federal  govern- 
ment, that  Federal  army  officers  would  become  blind 
to  almost  any  infraction  of  discipline,  or  even  law,  to 
win  a  claim  upon  the  favorable  consideration  of  a  pow- 
erful Proprietor,  and,  as  the  commandant  looked  over 
Jack's  gigantic  proportions,  he  said  with  a  smile  : 

"  My  orderly  was  unarmed  and  I  don't  see  how  he 
could  have  prevented  your  talcing  his  horse,  anyhow." 


"  UNCLE   SAM'S  "    CABINS.  IO/ 

Lawton  then  told  how  the  chief  object  of  his  visit 
was  to  see  the  prisoner,  relating  to  the  group  of  offi- 
cers ;  how  as  boys,  he  and  the  accused  man  had  lived 
almost  as  brothers,  and  his  deep  and  affectionate 
interest  in  the  prisoner's  fate.  Permission  was  readily 
granted,  accompanied  though  by  the  remark  :  "  Your 
brother,  Mr.  Lawton,  does  not  seem  to  share  your 
kindly  sentiments,  as  he  has  urged  me  in  a  manner  I 
cannot  ignore,  to  investigate  and  sift  this  crime  to  its 
origin — believing,  as  he  writes  me,  that  some  more 
powerful  influence  is  at  work  to  arouse  the  indignation 
and  resentment  of  the  tenantry  against  those  placed 
above  them,  than  mere  personal  hatred,  which  is  the 
outward  cause  of  this  murder." 

Jack,  full  of  wonder  at  the  position  taken  by  his 
brother,  walked  thoughtfully  towards  the  iron  cage, 
wherein  was  confined  the  poor  remnant  of  the  boy, 
with  whom  he  had  romped  in  the  sunshine  on  the  hills 
of  Ohio,  when  in  the  thoughtless  years  of  youth,  they 
roamed  together  through  woods  and  fields. 

As  Jack  neared  the  iron  bars  of  the  cell  in  which,  he 
knew  Hollister  was  held,  he  was  horrified  to  see  lean- 
ing upon  the  door  of  the  cell,  the  man  he  was  seeking, 
wildly  gesticulating,  and  talking  excitedly  to  himself. 
Lawton  said  to  the  guard  that  accompanied  him  : 
"  Friend,  in  the  name  of  God,  unlock  the  door  and  let 
me  get  near  enough  to  my  old  playmate  to  put  my 
hand  on  him." 

"  You  had  better  be  careful,  sir,"  said  the  soldier 
unlocking  the  door.  Jack  only  gave  him  one  glance  of 
his  fearless  eyes,  and  entered  the  cell,  closing  the  door 
with  a  clangor  as  the  bolts  shot  back  into  their  fasten- 
ings.     Then    grasping  Hollister    by  both   hands    and 


I08  "  UNCLE   SAM'S  "    CABINS. 

looking  him  intently  in  the  eyes,  he  said  :  "  George, 
old  chum,  it's  Jack  come  to  talk  with  you — to  hear  all 
about  your  trouble,  and  help  you  as  we  used  always  to 
help  each  other." 

The  fast  flying  reason  of  the  wreck  of  manhood, 
whose  hand,  Jack  held  in  friendly  grasp,  seemed  to 
pause  and  falter  in  its  flight  for  an  instant,  and  the  rays  of 
recollection  beamed  from  his  haggard  eyes  as  he  said  ; 
"  Yes,  Jack,  we  always  helped  each  other,"  and  then 
the  wandering  spirit  of  reason  started  on  a  mad  flight 
of  fancy,  and  he  whispered,  dragging  Jack  toward  the 
narrow  barred  window  :  "  Come,  Jack,  let  us  climb  out. 
We  can  chase  the  rabbits — come,  the  sun  is  shining! 
Oh,  hurry,  Jack,  push  me  up." 

Great  God  !  Of  all  the  sights  horrible  to  the  eyes  of 
affection,  the  most  superlative  is  the  madness  of  a 
loved  one.     Spare  thy  servant,  that,  oh,  Master  ! 

The  young  minister,  with  the  accent  of  agonizing 
sobs  sounding  in  each  tone  of  his  voice,  grasped  the 
now  thoroughly  insane  man  around  the  body,  and 
almost  carrying  him  to  the  stone  slab  which  served 
as  a  bed  for  occupants  of  the  cell,  said,  "  George, 
be  quiet, — softly, — so, — we  will  go  directly.  Tell  me 
all  the  trouble  for  mother's  sake,— for  Mollie,  our 
baby " 

With  the  screech  of  a  wounded  tiger,  Hollister,  at  the 
mention  of  Mary's  name,  tore  himself  away  from  the 
strong  grasp  of  the  athletic  clergyman,  hurling  him 
back  against  the  wall,  with  the  strength  born  of  mad- 
ness, yelling  in  a  fearful  voice  :  "  Damn  him.  He  said 
Mollie  was  Lawton's  mistress !  "  and  rushing  wildly 
against  the  iron  bars,  careless  of  the  blood  which  ran 
over  his  face  from  the  wounds  inflicted  by  his  heedless 


"  UNCLE   SAM  S       CABINS.  IOQ 

plunges  against  the  door,  he  screamed  :  "  Where  is  he  ? 
— where  is  the  club  ?  I  am  an  American — I  am  a  free 
man !  " 

Jack  sprang  upon  him  and  exerting  all  the  power  of 
his  mighty  frame,  held  the  maniac  helpless  in  his  arms. 
While  thus  locked  close  together,  poor  George  almost 
fainting  after  the  furious  fit  of  madness,  gasping  for 
breath,  exhausted,  lying  on  the  bosom  of  the  man — who 
suffering  in  sympathy  with  kindly  restraining  force — 
held  him,  said,  as  if  suddenly  a  ray  of  light  had  broken 
through  the  clouds  that  darkened  his  mind  : 

"Your  name  is  Lawton.  God's  curse  upon  you!" 
and  fastened  his  teeth  in  the  flesh  of  Jack's  neck. 
With  a  quick  motion,  Jack  jerked  himself  away  from 
the  grip  of  the  madman's  teeth,  and  with  the  blood 
from  the  wound  upon  his  neck  pouring  down  upon 
them  both,  said  with  the  expression  of  Him,  who  cen. 
turies  before  in  far  Palestine  had  prayed — "  God  for- 
give them  for  they  know  not  what  they  do," — "  George, 
my  friend,  my  playfellow,  do  you  want  to  hurt  me  ? 
My  name  is  Jack,  your  partner  Jack,"  and  with  soothing 
words  sought  to  calm  the  excitement  of  the  now  help- 
less maniac  whom  he  at  last  lulled  to  sleep. 

Oh  !  wandering  spirits  of  the  departed  citizens  of  the 
United  States,  who  lived  and  made  laws  one  hundred 
years  ago — to  degrade  and  impoverish  future  genera- 
tions of  your  descendants,  hover  over  this  cell  of  in- 
sanity and  Christianity  ! 

Gaze  !  spirits  of  long  forgotten  Hollisters,  upon  the 
ruin  wrought  by  your  infatuation  with  mistaken 
ideas  of  patriotism  and  transient  prosperity !  Spir- 
its of  that  host  of  laborers  and  mechanics,  starved  and 
dead,    passing   over   ruined    factories    and    workshops 


HO  "UNCLE   SAM'S"    CABINS. 

from    Maine  to    Texas,   pause    and    contemplate     this 
scene  ! 

And,  oh,  ye  spirits  of  the  humble  progenitors  of  the 
race  of  Proprietors  and  Sugar  Kings,  rejoice  that  in 
the  hour  of  thy  great  need  you  may  point  to  this 
one  descendant  of  your  name  and  blood,  and  proclaim 
this  fearless,  duty-loving  example  of  the  Christian 
clergyman,  in  the  divine  words  of  the  Creator,  "  My  son 
in  whom  I  am  well  pleased  "  ! 

George  Hollister,  worn  out  by  the  strain  which  his 
insanity  had  caused  upon  his  physical  strength,  fell 
into  a  swoon-like  sleep.  Jack,  with  gentle  care,  placed 
him  upon  the  hard  prison  couch,  arranging  the  meagre 
bedding  as  best  he  could,  for  the  comfort  of  the 
pitiable  sleeper,  hurried  out  of  the  barracks,  and  has- 
tened to  the  Lawton  mansion,  much  disturbed  by  the 
information  that  his  brother  Henry  was  interested  in 
the  punishment  of  Hollister,  and  the  investigation  of  a 
suspected  revolt  of  the  laboring  people. 

When  Jack  entered  the  library,  where  he  was  told 
by  Jackson  he  would  find  his  father,  his  brother  Henry 
and  Weaving  the  lawyer,  Jack,  was  shocked  by  the  ap- 
pearance of  his  father,  who  met  him  as  he  entered 
the  room.  It  was  evident  that  the  sudden  and  vio- 
lent death  of  Johnson,  or  some  other  powerful  cause 
had  created  the  change  so  noticeable  in  his  father. 

As  the  Proprietor  grasped  his  younger  son's  hand, 
he  said  :  "  Jack,  I  am  glad  that  you  have  come.  Some- 
how, I  have  been  so  upset  by  this  sudden  taking  off  of 
a  man  in  full  health,  so  closely  connected  with  my 
affairs,  that  I  am  feeling  quite  weak  and  ill,  and  the 
sight  of  your  great  health  and  strength  is  absolutely  a 
tonic."     This  was  such  a  new  and  unexpected    recep- 


''UNCLE   SAM'S  "    CABINS.  Ill 

tion  from  his  father  that  Jack  was  too  much  disconcerted 
to  be  able  to  enter  into  the  subject  of  Henry's  resent- 
ment, which  had  occupied  his  thoughts  on  the  way  to 
the  mansion.  Sitting  down  by  his  father's  side,  he 
said,  with  a  newly  discovered  tenderness  for  his  father 
filling  his  heart : 

"  I  am  glad  that  my  superabundance  of  size  and 
strength  has,  at  last,  been  found  of  benefit  to  some 
one,  and  especially  to  you,  sir.  I  think,  sometimes, 
that  I  was  intended  for  a  blacksmith." 

For  a  few  minutes  the  men  sat  talking  about  trivial 
affairs,  seemingly  by  common  consent,  avoiding  any  re- 
ference to  the  crime  which  all  knew,  was  filling  the  minds 
of  all  present.  When  luncheon  was  announced,  the  Pro- 
prietor in  such  a  pointed  manner  selected  Jack's  arm 
to  lean  upon,  as  they  went  toward  the  dining-room, 
that  Henry  Lawton  with  a  sneer,  turned  to  Weaving 
and  said :  "  It  is  certainly  an  advantage  to  possess  the 
strength  of  a  blacksmith,  even  when  accompanied  with 
the  tastes  of  a  rural  clown." 

After  the  meal  was  finished,  which  was  partaken  of 
in  silence,  the  Proprietor  expressed  the  desire  to  lie 
down,  as  he  was  suddenly  oppressed  by  some  trouble 
in  the  region  of  his  heart,  and  added,  "  Jack,  my  son, 
help  me  up-stairs  to  my  room,"  and  leaning  on  the 
stalwart  arm  of  his  much  neglected  younger  son,  Mr. 
Lawton  left  the  room,  followed  by  the  astonished  look 
of  the  lawyer,  who  had  been  accustomed  to  see  Henry 
ever  preferred  by  the  father  of  the  two  men. 

When  Mr.  Lawton  reached  his  chamber,  he  cast 
himself  upon  his  bed,  and  still  holding  Jack's  hand, 
which  he  had  clasped,  drew  him  down  into  a  chair  by 
the  bedside,  saying : 


112  "UNCLE  SAMS       CABINS. 

"Jack,  my  boy!  lam  really  feeling  quite  ill  and 
have  sent  to  the  barracks  for  the  surgeon.  Ever  since 
I  heard  of  the  terrible  crime  of  that  Hollister  boy,  I 
have  been  nervous  and  afflicted  with  a  painful  sensa- 
tion around  my  heart.  It  seems  but  yesterday  that  I 
was  a  young  man,  and  knew  the  father  of  the  mur- 
derer, as  a  tenant  of  my  father.  At  that  time,  the  ten- 
ants had  not  arrived  at  the  depths  of  poverty  to  which 
they  have  since  fallen,  I  have  been  thinking  of 
what  you  said  the  other  morning,  my  son,  since  the 
commission  of  this  murder,  and  I  am  not  so  clear  that 
if  I  live,  I  will  not  attempt  the  institution  of  a  change 
in  the  laws  by  which  serfdom  is  forced  upon  the  farm- 
class.  Anyhow,  I  shall  defer  the  enslavement  of  my 
tenants,  and  give  orders  to  have  seed,  and  supplies  issued 
to  them,  as  soon  as  I  appoint  a  new  superintendent." 

To  Jack's  reply  of  "  God  will  bless  you  sir!  It  will 
be  with  happiness  that  I  can  announce  the  good  news 
to  your  tenants.  I  am  proud  to  call  myself  your  son, 
sir,"  his  father  with  a  suspicious  moisture  in  his  eyes, 
said  :  "  How  like  his  mother  !  "  and  turning  his  face 
toward  the  wall,  added,  "  Leave  me,  Jack.  I  will  try 
and  get  some  sleep,  as  I  was  awake  all  of  last  night." 

When  Jack  returned  to  the  dining-room,  thinking  to 
find  Henry  and  obtain  some  explanation  of  his  interest 
in  the  murder  of  Johnson,  he  ascertained  that  his 
brother  and  Weaving  had  gone  with  the  carriage  to 
the  barracks,  as  they  had  expressed  a  wish  to  confer 
with  the  commandant  of  the  post. 

Jack  ordered  his  horse  and  rode  away  to  the  "  Parso- 
nage "  for  the  purpose  of  arranging  the  goods  selected 
by  Jackson  for  use  by  him,  in  making  his  home  com- 
fortable, and  which  had  been  sent  away  from  the  barn 


"  UNCLE   SAMS       CABINS.  I  1 3 

at  the  mansion,  early  in  the  morning  by  the  faithful 
butler,  and  were  by  this  time  unloaded  at  the  "  Par- 
sonage." 

Rossmore  and  his  wife  had  taken  charge  of  every- 
thing in  the  absence  of  Jack,  and  he  found  much  to  his 
satisfaction,  that  all  traces  of  the  late  occupant  of  the 
house  had  vanished,  that  the  furniture  and  stores 
sent  from  the  mansion  had  been  properly  arranged  in 
the  house,  giving:  to  it  an  air  of  cheerfulness  and  com- 
fort,  which,  in  his  then,  almost  exhausted,  condition 
from  loss  of  sleep,  excitement  and  the  exercise  of  the 
past  twenty-four  hours,  was  exceedingly  welcome. 

Mrs.  Hollister  had  fallen  into  a  fitful,  feverish  sleep, 
but  Mary  came  to  him  to  learn  what  he  had  found  out 
concerning  the  crime  of  which  her  brother  was  accused. 
Jack  told  her  that  he  had  been  to  see  George  at  the 
barracks,  but  as  George  was  ill,  he  had  not  pressed  for 
a  statement  from  him  with  regard  to  the  crime  for  which 
he  was  arrested  ;  that  he  had  been  to  the  mansion  to 
see  his  father,  and  had  found  him  also  far  from  well ;  that 
from  all  he  had  seen  and  heard,  he  believed  that 
George  could  not  be  held  accountable  for  the  killing 
of  Johnson  ;  that  he  had  written  to  a  lawyer  in  Cleve- 
land, engaging  him  to  defend  George;  and  that  he  was 
convinced,  a  trial  would  result  in  the  speedy  acquittal 
of  her  brother. 

Jack  would  not  tell  Mary  of  the  mental  wreck  of  her 
brother,  and  that  it  was  upon  this  defense  he  relied  to 
secure  an  acquittal,  deeming  it  better  for  the  effects  of 
the  great  shock  already  received,  to  wear  away  before 
presenting  the  sorrowful  reason  for  his  faith,  in  the 
early  discharge  of  the  prisoner. 

Mary,  greatly  encouraged  by  Jack's  confident  man 


114  "UNCLE    SAMS       CABIN'S. 

ner,  took  his  hand  and  raised  it  to  her  lips,  saying  : 
"  Jack,  how  good  you  are  !  "  As  she  lifted  her  eyes, 
she  saw  the  strips  of  court-plaster  with  which  the  sur- 
geon at  the  barracks  had  covered  the  wound  made  by 
teeth  of  the  poor  madman,  George,  upon  Jack's  neck. 
The  eyes  of  affection  and  gratitude  had  quickly  discov- 
ered that  which  had  escaped  entirely  the  notice  of  any- 
one, except  old  Jackson,  at  the  Mansion.  In  a  star- 
tled voice,  Mary  exclaimed  : 

'•  Why,  Mr.  Jack,  you  are  wounded,  hurt.  How  did 
it  happen  ?" 

The  young  man  quickly  turned  his  head  to  conceal 
the  wound,  saying,  with  a  blush  mantling  his  cheek  : 
"  Oh  !  it  is  a  mere  scratch  made  by  the  limb  of  a  tree  as 
I  rode  to  the  barracks." 

What!  A  lie,  Jack,  and  you  a  clergyman!  Yes! 
and  such  lies  need  call  no  blush  of  shame  to  your  hon- 
est face,  Jack,  for  of  such  lies  are  made  golden  keys  to 
open  the  gates  of  heaven,  where  bright  recording  an- 
gels smile  to  enter  in  the  Book  of  Fate  such  lies.  Lies 
like  thine,  Jack,  make  easier  stepping-stones  to  mount 
to  eternal  happiness  than  many  cold,  hard,  heartless, 
cruel  truths. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

WHEN  Henry  Lavvton  and  Weaving,  accompanied  by 
the  surgeon  from  the  barracks,  arrived  at  the  mansion, 
Henry  summoned  his  father's  valet,  and  instructed  him 
to  inform  his  master  of  their  arrival.  The  valet  sug- 
gested that  his  master  was  apparently  asleep,  and  that 
he  hesitated  to  arouse  him,  but  receiving  a  peremptory 
command  to  do  so,  immediately,  left  the  apartment, 
but  hastily  returned,  with  white  and  trembling  lips, 
saying  he  was  unable  to  awaken  the  proprietor,  and 
that  he  believed  his  master  was — dead. 

Unfortunately  for  the  tenants  of  the  District  of 
Ohio,  the  fears  of  the  valet  proved  well  founded,  as 
Henry  Lawton,  Weaving  and  the  surgeon  ascertained, 
when  they  gathered  around  the  bed,  where  lay  the 
body  of  the  man  who,  so  recently  had  promised  Jack, 
to  delay,  or  possibly  entirely  abandon  the  idea  of 
enslaving  his  fellow-countrymen. 

John  Lawton  had  died  from  what  the  surgeon  pro- 
nounced, heart  failure. 

By  operation  of  the  "Law  of  Family  Compact," 
Henry  Lawton,  the  eldest  son,  now  became  possessed  of 
all  the  real,  and  personal  property  of  the  estate,  as  well  as 


Il6  "UNCLE   SAM'S "   CABINS. 

by  succession,  Proprietor  of  the  District  of  Ohio.  Jack- 
son the  butler,  was  immediately  summoned  and  com- 
manded by  Henry  to  find  his  brother  Jack,  and  bring 
him  to  the  mansion.  At  the  same  time,  messengers 
were  dispatched  to  Cleveland,  and  New  York,  to  secure 
the  attendance  of  embalmers  and  undertakers,  and 
make  the  customary  preparation  for  the  entombment 
of  a  great  Proprietor,  in  the  Westminster  of  America — 
Trinity  Church,  in  New  York  city. 

Weaving,  as  the  representative  of  the  family,  left 
immediately  for  Washington  city,  to  place  before  the 
executive  of  the  government,  a  statement  of  the  death 
of  the  old  Proprietor,  and  to  obtain  recognition  of  the 
succession  to  office  of  his  eldest  son,  Henry. 

Since  the  decay  of  trade  and  commercial  prosperity, 
resulting  from  the  pauperism  of  the  agricultural  class, 
it  had  proven  unnecessary,  and  useless  expenditure 
of  money,  for  the  Federal  government  to  maintain  reg- 
ular mail  service,  hence  post-offices  had  been  abandoned 
in  all  places,  except  the  few  large  cities,  where  the  cor- 
respondence and  business  of  the  wealthy  landlords 
still  sufficed  to  partially  sustain  postal  facilities. 

Therefore,  Henry  Lawton  had  been  obliged  to  send 
couriers  to  Cleveland  and  New  York,  with  instructions 
for  the  funeral  arrangements,  as  well  as  his  special  mes- 
senger, Mr.  Weaving,  to  the  Federal  government,  and 
until  the  arrival  of  surgeons  from  the  metropolis,  the  new 
Proprietor  was  obliged  to  rest  satisfied  with  the  opinion 
of  the  surgeon  of  the  troops  on  duty  in  the  section,  with 
regard  to  the  cause  of  his  father's  death,  as  long  since,  the 
country  doctor  had  disappeared,  together  with  the 
apothecary,  from  the  rural  districts.  Their  places  were 
filled  as  nearly  as  circumstances  would  permit,  by  the 


"UNCLE    SAMS       CABINS.  11/ 

aged  and  experienced  women  of  the  tenantry,  who  relied 
for  medicine  upon  the  virtues  of  native  herbs  and  roots. 

Henry  Lawton  having  performed  what,  he  had  been  in- 
structed by  his  legal  adviser,  was  of  primary  importance, 
and  required  the  utmost  promptness,  sat  gloomily  think- 
ing of  the  departed  father,  who,  from  earliest  infancy,  had 
showered  upon  him  every  evidence  of  affection,  and 
favor,  within  the  power  of  man  to  bestow.  Henry  Law- 
ton  was  neither  better,  nor  worse,  than  the  average  man 
of  the  twentieth  century  similarly  situated. 

That  he  possessed  selfishness  in  a  marked  manner,  was 
but  the  logical  and  natural  outgrowth  of  a  system  of 
selfishness  that  pervaded  the  whole  atmosphere  through 
which  he  had  come  to  manhood,  from  the  government 
at  Washington,  controlled  as  it  was,  by  the  concentrated 
capital  of  the  country,  to  the  author  of  his  being,  who 
saw  in  him,  as  the  babe  in  the  cradle,  the  means  for  the 
perpetuation  of  the  policy  that  had  built  up  the  family 
fortune  of  the  Lawtons  upon  the  ruins  of  the  hope  and 
happiness  of  many  thousands  of  American  citizens. 

The  character  of  Henry  Lawton  had  been  moulded  by 
the  pattern  made,  through  the  operation  of  more  than  a 
century,  of  the  deception,  selfishness,  cupidity  and  ar- 
rogance in  the  ancestors  from  whom  he  derived  his  be- 
ing. 

Individually,  the  man  who  now  succeeded  to  the  title 
of  Proprietor  was  no  worse  than  the  human  product  of 
like  conditions,  of  every  age  and  country  since  the 
world  began.  He  had  been  dissolute  and  had  indulged 
in  all  kinds  of  dissipation,  but  such  has  been  the  usual 
conduct  of  the  inheritors  of  unearned  wealth,  from  days 
far  earlier  than  those  of  the  glory  of  Babylon,  with  its 
hosts  of  scarlet  women. 


1 1 8  "Uncle  sa.m's"  cabins. 

Possession  of  great  wealth  acquired  by  inheritance, 
begets  idleness,  which  is  often  followed  by  indulgence  in 
vices  ;  from  no  inherent  wickedness  of  the  individual,  but 
simply  as  a  natural  consequence  of  idleness,  and  the  de- 
sire for  entertainment. 

Henry  Lawton  received  his  brother  Jack,  (who  had 
been  found  by  Jackson,  who  came  with  the  message 
from  Henry,  fast  asleep  in  a  large  armchair,  worn  out 
by  his  emotions  and  labor  of  the  past  night  and  day,) 
with  manner  more  kindly  than  had  been  customary 
with  him  ever  before,  in  his  intercourse  with  his  younger 
brother.  Doubtless  the  death  of  one,  whom  in  common, 
they  called  father  had  impressed  Henry ;  also  the  fact, 
that  he  was  now  the  head  of  the  Lawton  family,  and  in 
that  position  should  exercise  paternal  forbearance,  and 
patience. 

Jack,  who  upon  entering  the  mansion  had  been 
conducted  to  his  father's  room,  where  the  body  of  the 
dead  Proprietor  still  lay,  had  cast  himself  upon  his 
knees  by  the  bedside  of  his  father,  and  offered  up  the 
silent  prayers  which  filled  his  heart,  (with  more  filial 
affection  than  might  under  the  circumstances  have  been 
expected,)  to  his  Heavenly  Father.  He  remained  in 
the  chamber  of  death,  for  some  time,  giving  evidence 
of  no  more  grief  than  he  felt,  but  even,  so  much  as  he 
actually  experienced  so  far  exceeded  what  the  old 
servants  of  the  mansion  knew,  was  due,  that  whenever 
any  of  them  entered  the  room,  they  were  surprised  to 
find  Jack  with  cheeks  wet  with  tears. 

Seeking  his  brother,  to  whom  he  wished  to  offer  fra- 
ternal consolation,  Jack  came  into  the  library,  where 
Henry  was  seated,  who  cordially  welcomed  the  inter- 
ruption to  his  gloomy  thoughts.     The   two    brothers 


"UNCLE   SAM'S       CABINS.  II9 

sat  and  talked  in    a  more  friendly  manner  than  they 
had  ever  in  their  lives,  done  before. 

Henry  informed  Jack  of  what  he  had  already  done, 
and  what  he  intended  doing  concerning  the  funeral  and 
entombment  of  their  father's  body — of  his  sending 
Weaving  to  Washington,  and  his  prompt  entrance  upon 
the  duties  of  the  office  of  Proprietor  of  the  District.  At 
this  point  of  the  conversation,  Jack  informed  Henry  of 
the  statement  made  by  his  father  to  him,  in  their  last 
interview,  and  that  he  supposed,  Henry  would  follow  the 
line  of  policy  suggested  by  the  old  Proprietor  while 
lying  upon  what  had  proven  his  deathbed. 

To  Jack's  utmost  astonishment,  Henry  calmly  replied, 
that  while  he  did  not  doubt  Jack's  statement  concern- 
ing the  conversation  with  his  father,  as  some  suggestion 
of  such  being  old  Mr.  Lawton's  policy,  had  been  made 
both  to  Weaving  and  himself,  still  inasmuch  as  it  was 
contrary  to  the  policy  of  the  founders  of  the  family, 
adopted  more  than  a  century  before,  and  as  he,  Henry, 
inherited  the  fortune  of  the  family  arising  from  a  con- 
tinuance of  the  policy  of  the  founders  of  it,  burdened 
with  no  condition  except  only  such  as  was  created  by 
the  operation  of  the  Law  of  Family  Compact,  he 
would  disregard  entirely  his  father's  recent  conversion 
to  the  Quixotic  doctrine,  that  all  men  should  be  free 
and  equal ;  that,  as  Proprietor  of  the  District,  and  owner 
of  the  estate,  he  would  still  insist  that  the  tenants 
should  enter  into  Bonds  of  Servitude,  and  become  at- 
tached as  serfs  to  the  soil ;  that  intending  to  crush  any 
opposition  by  the  tenantry  before  it  could  become  for- 
midable, he  would  exercise  all  the  power  and  influence 
of  his  position  to  make  the  murderer  of  the  late  su- 
perintendent, such  a  terrifying  example   to  the  other 


120  "uncle  sam's"  cabins. 

tenants,  of  the  consequences  of  violence  or  rebellion 
against  that,  which  fate,  and  their  forefathers,  had  pre- 
pared for  them,  that  they  would  accept  quietly  their 
new  position — that  of  slaves — which  was  but  the  natu- 
ral sequence,  following  the  policy  pursued,  by  which, 
tribute  was  exacted  from  the  toilers  of  the  fields  in 
America,  by  manufacturers,  landlords  and  inheritors  of 
wealth  ;  that  the  Ohio  District  was  the  only  one  in 
America  where  the  tenants  had  not  been  enslaved  for 
years,  and  that  other  proprietors  in  the  country  were, 
by  use  of  slave  labor,  enabled  to  derive  large  profits 
from  planting  their  land  and  enjoy  immense  incomes, 
as  more  than  a  century  ago  the  owners  of  the  land  in 
the  then  Southern  States  had  done  as  the  result  of 
negro  slave  labor. 

Henry  Lawton,  seeing  the  indignant  fire  flashing  in 
Jack's  eyes,  still  red  from  the  tears  shed  by  the  death- 
bed of  the  father  of  this  man  who  quietly  and  calmly 
proposed  to  disregard,  and  ignore,  the  last  expressed  in- 
tention of  that  dead  father,  and  desiring  to  stem  the 
rising  tide  of  Jack's  indignation,  added  : 

"  Well,  Jack,  anyway,  there  is  very  little  in  a  name. 
For  all  practical  purposes  the  farming  people  have 
been  slaves  in  America  long  before  there  was  such  a 
thing  as  a  Proprietor.  You  need  not  become  so  much 
excited  about  it.  Your  friends,  the  farmers,  willingly 
put  their  necks  into  the  yoke  and  became  slaves  in  all 
but  name, when  they  delegated  to  men  of  my  position — 
who,  at  that  time,  were  manufacturers  in  America — the 
right  to  force  them  to  buy  articles  which,  to  sustain 
life  the  farmers  were  obliged  to  have,  only,  from  those 
manufacturers  and  at  their  prices,  while  the  revenue 
derived  by  the  farmers   from  the  land  and  their  own 


"UNCLE   SAM'S  "   CABINS.  121 

labor,  they  had  to  procure  at  random  from  whom  and 
upon  such  terms,  as  the  competition  of  all  the  farmers 
of  the  world  made  possible. 

The  man  who  is  obliged  to  buy  what — to  sustain  life 
against  the  attacks  of  cold  and  hunger — he  must  have, 
where  I  command,  and  at  the  price  I  command — is  my 
slave,  or  else  he  dies  of  cold  and  hunger  ;  no  matter 
whether  I  obtained  the  power  over  him  by  his  assent  or 
not,  and  whether  I  call  him  slave  or  freeman ;  and  the 
most  charitable  construction  to  put  upon  the  action  of 
any  man  who,  having  an  income  depending  solely  upon 
the  competition  he  receives,  permits  another  to  say 
what  shall  be  his  expenses  to  sustain  life,  is,  that  the  man 
is  insane,  and  is  properly  restrained  and  controlled  by 
the  one  of  sense  and  reason. 

You  must  admit  that  Bonds  of  Servitude  but  give  a 
name  to  the  policy  pursued  by  men  of  my  class  for 
more  than  a  century,  and  it  alters  but  in  name  the  posi- 
tion of  those  who,  for  years,  have  served  us  and  paid 
any  tribute  we  thought  them  capable  of  paying." 

When  Henry  had  finished,  Jack,  fairly  bursting  with 
wrath,  exclaimed  hotly:  "All  of  that  has  nothing  to 
do  with  the  matter.  It  was  the  (then  unsuspected) 
dying  wish  of  our  father,  that  the  tenants  of  the  Lawton 
estate  should  not  be  enslaved,  in  name  anyway,  and 
respect  for  his  memory  should  compel  you  gladly  to 
comply  with  that  expressed  wish." 

"Well,  to  have  an  end  to  any  discussion,  "  replied 
Henry,  doggedly,  "  I  do  not  intend  to  be  bound  by  any 
wish,  expressed  or  not,  by  my  predecessor.  These  peo- 
ple whom  I  will  force  into  slavery,  deserve  only  to  be 
slaves.  Fools  make  slaves  of  themselves,  and  their  chil- 
dren.    The  forefathers  of  these  tenants,  helped  by  their 


122  "UNCLE  SAM'S"  cabins. 

votes  to  make  the  laws  putting  chains  upon  themselves 
and  their  descendants — while  it  was  not  policy  for 
years  to  let  it  be  known  that  they  were  in  chains — 1 
find  the  opportunity  now,  in  safety,  to  rivet  upon  these 
tenants,  chains  created  by  their  own  ancestors,  and  I 
am  going  to  take  the  same  advantage  of  my  position, 
as  other  Proprietors  have  already  done,  of  theirs." 

"  But,"  replied  Jack,  "  I  will  not  allow  you  to  end 
the  discussion  in  any  such  manner.  You  know  the 
history  of  this  country.  You  are  well  aware  of  the 
means  used  to  secure  the  passage  of  those  laws  you 
refer  to.  You  are  an  educated  man,  and  have  read  how 
an  appeal  was  made  to  the  people's  patriotism.  The 
farmers  were  asked  to  tax  themselves  to  support  infant 
industries,  long  after  infant  industries  had  grown  to  be 
all-devouring  vultures  of  monopolies,  devouring  the 
body  politic. 

The  farmers  were  deluded  into  the  belief  that  by  so 
doing  they  were  aiding  the  mechanics  and  artisans 
of  the  land — and  the  mechanics  and  artisans  were 
beguiled  by  the  high  wages  handed  to  them  by  the 
right  hand  of  the  manufacturer,  and  snatched  instantly 
away  from  them  by  the  left  hand  of  the  same  manu- 
facturer, under  the  pretext  that  it  was  due  for  rent,  and 
the  supplies  used  by  the  mechanics  and  artisans. 

You — (now  because  the  opportunity  presents  itself,) 
clad  in  the  impregnable  armor  of  gold,  against  which  the 
lance  of  poverty,  in  the  hands  of  the  most  virtuous  and 
valiant,  flies  into  splinters, — turn  upon  the  descendants 
of  those  farmers,  mechanics  and  artisans,  from  whom, 
by  respectable  plausible  fraud  and  deceit,  under  color 
of  infernal  laws,  the  very  gold  in  which  you  stand 
arrayed    invulnerable,  was    filched— would  rivet  upon 


"UNCLE    SAM'S"    CABINS.  123 

these  powerless  defenseless  people,  the  infamous  chains 
of  slavery,  forged  by  the  trustfulness  and  credulity  of 
their  ancestors.  In  that — you  would  take  advantage  of 
the  power  given  you  by  the  ill-gotton  gold  of  our  crafty, 
deceitful  ancestors,  to  inflict  chains  of  bondage  upon 
the  weak  and  helpless.     You  are  a  coward  !  " 

Henry  Lawton  sprang  from  his  chair,  pale  with 
passion,  but  Jack,  extending  his  hand  with  a  repulsing 
gesture,  continued  :  "  Don't  start  now  !  I  am  not 
through.  That  you  would  follow  the  man  who, — driven 
mad  by  the  degradation  to  which  he  had  fallen, where  he, 
an  American,  could  be  compelled  to  become  a  slave, — 
killed  an  instrument  which  his  lordly  Proprietor  had 
made  use  of  to  bring  him  to  that  depth  of  despair,  in 
which  sanity  and  reason  had  left  him,  you  are  a  cruel 
coward  !  And  if,  (in  the  wild  ravings  of  the  madman, 
whom  you  would  make  a  terrifying  example,)  there  is 
one  atom  of  truth  connecting  our  name  with  an 
attempt  upon  the  honor  of  his  sister — you  are,  an  in- 
famous scoundrel !  In  disregarding  the  known  wish  of 
our  father,  now  lying  dead  over  our  heads,  you  are — 
a  disloyal,  ungrateful  son,  to  a  father,  so  kind  and  gen- 
erous to  you  as  should  win  your  gratitude  and  loyalty, 
even  though  you  were  the  cruel,  cowardly,  infamous 
scoundrel,  I  declare  you  !  " 

As  Jack  finished  speaking,  he  arose,  flushed  and 
defiant,  not  knowing  what  to  expect  from  his  brother, 
who  had  resumed  his  seat,  and  now  white  with  anger 
regarded  him  with  unwinking  eyes.  "  Have  you  made 
an  end?"  were  the  first  words  that  came  from  the 
white  drawn  lips  of  Henry  Lawton  ;  "  for  if  so,"  he 
continued,  "  leave  my  house,  and  never  put  your  foot 
within  its  doors  again  so  long  as  you  live.  Before  you 
go,  for  the  satisfaction  it  gives  me  to  exhibit  the  result 


124  "UNCLE    SAM'S  "    CABINS. 

of  your  folly, — I  will  tell  you,  that  the  Lawton,  your 
mad  murderer  referred  to,  was  your  very  clerical  self. — 
Now  leave  ! " 

He  arose,  and  pointed  toward  the  door,  but  Jack, 
heedless  of  the  motion  of  the  new  Proprietor's 
hand,  and  his  accompanying  command,  stepped 
toward  his  brother,  and  stopping  close  in  front  of  him, 
in  the  determined  tone  of  one,  who  was  careless  of  con- 
sequences, said  :  "  This  is  your  house,  but  as  long  as 
my  father's  body  lies  in  it,  I  shall  come  here.  I  shall 
be  present  at  the  service,  when  held  in  the  Lawton 
house  in  New  York,  and  at  the  church,  and  if  any  one 
seek  to  prevent  my  presence,  there  will  be  that  done 
which  you  will  long  remember." 

Henry,  curbing  his  temper,  for  he  knew  that  his 
brother  would  hesitate  at  nothing  if  he  were  deter- 
mined upon  a  course  of  action  said  :  "  Knowing  that 
you  have  little  respect  for  the  position  that  we 
occupy,  that  you  would  not  be  at  all  reluctant  to  make 
our  name  ridiculous,  I  amend  my  command  until  after 
the  funeral  of  my  father— but  now  and  forever,  I  dis- 
own you  as  brother  of  mine.  Never  address  another 
word  to  me  as  long  as  you  live,"  saying  which,  Henry 
Lawton  walked  out  of  the  room,  leaving  Jack  standing, 
flushed  and  hot,  in  the  centre  of  the  apartment. 

When  left  alone,  Jack  threw  himself  into  a  chair 
and  endeavored  to  arrange  in  his  mind  the  order  of 
the  events  of  the  last  two  days.  The  most  inexpli- 
cable thing — and  that  which  filled  him  with  wonder, 
even  more  than  the  sudden  death  of  his  father, — was 
the  fact  that  the  words  used  by  George  Hollister  in 
his  ravings,  could  refer  to  him.  How  in  any  way  to 
connect  his  name,  with  the  cause  of  Hollister's  murder 
of  Johnson,  seemed  impossible,  and  thus  he  sat  and 
pondere  1  far  into  the  night. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

THE  wreath  of  flowers  placed  by  Jack  upon  the  tomb 
of  his  father,  in  that  imposing  edifice  in  New  York 
city,  where  the  body  of  the  Proprietor  of  the  District 
of  Ohio  had  been  laid,  among  the  great  and  powerful 
of  America,  who  had  preceded  him  to  America's  West- 
minster Abbey,  Trinity  Church,  had  become  dry  and 
withered,  for  a  month  had  passed  since  the  tomb  closed 
over  all  that  was  mortal  of  John  Lawton.  A  new  su- 
perintendent had  been  selected  quickly  to  succeed  John- 
son, by  Henry  Lawton,  as  the  new  Proprietor  wished 
to  remain  in  New  York  city,  and  avoid  the  gloom  and 
discomfort  of  a  return  to  the  district  over  which  he  ruled. 
Instructions  had  been  given  by  the  proprietor  that  as 
soon  as  practicable  the  tenants  of  the  estate  should 
be  notified  to  appear  at  the  courthouses  in  their  respec- 
tive sections  and  execute  the  "  Bonds  of  Servitude." 

On  this  bright  May  morning,  while  every  tree  and 
bush  was  putting  forth  the  joyous  signs  of  spring,  in 
tender  buds  and  opening  leaves — when  kindly,  gener- 
ous Nature  spread  an  emerald  carpet  over  every 
hill,  making  a  velvet-covered  dancing  hall,  of  all  the 
hills  and   hollows,  for  merry  meetings   of  the  coming 


126  "UNCLE   SAM'S"    CABINS. 

songsters  of  the  spring,  who  soon  would  arouse  echoes 
in  every  ravine,  and  forest  with  songs  of  gladness,  and 
freedom — the  tenants  of  the  District  of  Ohio  were  ex- 
pected by  the  officers  appointed  to  receive  the  sur- 
render of  their  last  possession  except  life  itself.  This 
was  the  day  fixed  by  order  of  the  Proprietor  for  the 
tenants  to  give  up — Freedom. 

As  the  grey  figures  trudged,  sadly,  and  wearily,  tow- 
ard the  once  prosperous,  but  now  almost  deserted 
town  of  Carlton,  where  the  courthouse  was  located  for 
the  section  of  the  district  in  which  the  Lawson  man- 
sion stood,  and  where  the  Rev.  Jack  Lawton  labored, 
the  very  smiles  of  Nature  seemed  to  mock  them  in 
their  misery.  The  robins  seemed  to  swell  out  their 
red  breasts  with  the  pride  of  freedom,  as  they  hopped 
out  of  the  path  of  the  dejected  men,  tramping  sorrow- 
fully through  the  unfolding  scenes  of  the  gayest  drama 
of  the  seasons,  awakening  Spring. 

Man  !  Man  alone  was  miserable,  for  only  man  was 
vile,  cruel  and  unkind.  On  this  fair  stage  of  Nature's 
kind  creation,  the  only  shadow  of  aught  save  gladness, 
was  the  silent,  sorrowing  beings  called,  Men. 

As  the  tenants  painfully  dragged  along  the  heavy 
wooden  shoes,  to  which  the  clayey  soil  of  the  roads 
clung,  as  if  the  very  earth  would  hold -them  back  from 
their  disgrace,  they  drew  the  hoods  of  their  blouses  far 
down  over  their  eyes,  as  if  to  shut  out  the  scene  of 
happiness  spread  around  them. 

Through  the  neglected  streets  of  the  once  busy  town 
of  Carlton,  pushing  aside  the  rank  weeds  which  filled 
the  roadways  of  what  were  years  before,  the  principal 
business  streets  of  the  town — empty,  shutterless,  door- 
less  buildings,  standing  half    hidden  by  the  interlaced 


"UNCLE  SAMS       CABINS.  \2J 

weeds  and  underbrush  on  either  side,  like  gravestones 
marking  the  burial  place  of  prosperity — the  tenants 
made  their  way  to  the  courthouse. 

The  ruined  buildings,  unpainted  and  unkept,  like 
hideous  hags  of  hell's  creation — their  sashless  windows, 
like  gloating,  cavernous  eyes  ;  their  doorways,  like 
mocking,  toothless  mouths  stretched  wide  with  fiend- 
ish joy,  seemed  to  taunt  the  tenants  as  they  hurried 
along — even  the  soft  breezes  of  the  May  morning,  as 
they  sounded  in  the  deserted  houses,  seemed  to  give 
voice  to  the  hags  of  their  fancy,  who,  jeering  them  on 
their  hateful  journey,  in  sounds  which  seemed  to  say  : 
"  Noble  descendants  of  worthy  ancestors !  Go  to  the 
shame  prepared  for  you  by  your  forefathers.  They 
stole  our  brightness  from  us  !  What  Tarquin  was  to 
Lucretia,  your  ancestors  were  to  us — ravishers,  who 
committed  rape  upon  the  commerce  of  their  country. 
We  laugh,  and  shout  good  speed  to  your  footsteps" 

Collected  on  a  cleared  spot  of  ground  which  had 
formerly  been  a  park  of  considerable  size,  in  front 
of  the  courthouse,  were  about  a  hundred  men.  A 
glance  would  have  sufficed  for  anyone  to  become  sat- 
isfied that  it  was  a  gathering  of  the  toilers  of  the  fields. 
Their  legs,  bare  from  just  below  the  knees,  were  cov- 
ered with  the  mud  and  clay  of  the  miry  roads  of  the 
spring — the  heavy  dark  garments  which  they  wore, 
were  as  unpleasant  to  the  eye  as  the  garb  of  the  con- 
victs in  the  nineteenth  century.  A  ghost  from  the  past, 
would  have  wondered  that  from  such  a  number  of  men, 
no  tobacco  smoke  was  seen  to  rise,  but  time  and  want 
had  robbed  the  farming  class  in  America,  of  even  the 
use  of  that  native  American  plant. 

The  men  neither  joked  nor  laughed,  as  when  a  num- 


128  "UNCLE   SAM'S  "   CABINS. 

ber  of  neighbors  meet  in  the  farming  district  of  a 
happy  country.  One  unaware  of  the  customary  man- 
ners of  the  tenants  of  America  in  the  twentieth  century, 
would  have  said  that  the  object  of  the  meeting  of  these 
men  was  to  attend  a  funeral,  and  upon  this  occasion, 
the  opinion  would  have  been  correct — they  had  met  to 
attend  the  funeral  of  their  Freedom.  But,  as  a  matter 
of  fact,  mirth  had  so  long  departed  that  the  usual  man- 
ner of  a  farmer,  was  funereal. 

The  men  before  the  courthouse  stood  huddled  close 
together,  as  cattle  will  stand  at  the  approach  of  a  storm, 
seeking  that  support  in  contact  with  others  of  their 
kind,  which  simply  their  individual  courage  will  not  give 
in  the  hour  of  danger. 

The  door  of  the  courthouse  opened  and  an  officer  of 
the  law  made  his  way  across  the  cleared  ground  to  the 
spot,  where  the  cowering  men  were  standing.  The 
officer  was  clothed  in  the  uniform  of  the  Federal  gov- 
ernment, even  though  he  was  what  once  had  been  called, 
sheriff — a  uniform  being  deemed  necessary  in  even 
the  most  insignificant  position,  in  the  grand  scheme  of 
centralization.  The  officer  ordered  the  men  to  form  in 
line,  and,  as  their  names  were  called  to  march  into  the 
courthouse. 

In  the  courtroom  of  the  building  sat  the  new 
superintendent  of  the  district — at  his  right  hand,  sat 
Weaving,  before  whom  lay  ready  prepared  for  execution, 
a  package  of  "  Bonds  of  Servitude."  At  the  left  of 
the  superintendent,  gay  in  all  the  trappings  of  the 
uniform  of  a  colonel  in  the  Federal  army,  sat  the 
commandant  of  the  military  force  stationed  in  the 
section. 

As    each  tenant's  name  was  called   by   the    officer 


"UNCLE  SAM'S  "    CABINS.  129 

before  whom  the  men  had  formed  themselves  into  a 
line,  the  man  would  answer,  and  step  out  of  the  line, 
and  make  his  way  into  the  courthouse,  where  he  would 
be  conducted  by  a  uniformed  deputy  into  the  presence 
of  the  tribunal  in  the  courtroom.  Here,  he  was 
ordered  to  throw  back  his  hood,  and  thus,  uncovered 
approach  the  table,  behind  which  were  seated  the 
representatives  of  all  the  power  in  the  land.  The 
commandant,  as  representing  the  benign,  protecting, 
ever-watchful  Federal  government,  anxious  to  insure 
the  security  of  every  citizen,  (as  all  military  govern- 
ments have  ever  been,)  asked  the  trembling  wretch  : 

"  Do  you  voluntarily  desire  to  surrender  your  rights 
as  a  free  citizen  and  secure  the  support  and  protection 
of  the  Proprietor  of  the  District  of  Ohio  ?  "  to  which 
the  half-starved  creature  would  answer,  "  I  do."  Then 
the  paternal  Federal  government,  speaking  by  its 
mouthpiece,  would  ask  :  "  Do  you  willingly  bind  your- 
self, your  wife  and  your  children  born  in  future,  as  well 
as  your  children  now  in  being,  to  the  Proprietor  of  the 
District  of  Ohio,  and  his  successors  in  office,  to  pass 
with  the  land  as  chattels  attached  thereto  ? — Before 
you  answer,  I  wish  to  warn  you  that  if  you  answer  in 
the  affirmative,  the  Proprietor  of  your  district  may 
exercise  the  whole  power  of  the  Federal  government 
to  enforce  his  claim  upon  you  and  your  descendants 
forever,  and  in  return,  the  Proprietor  is  obligated  by 
the  Federal  laws  to  feed,  clothe  and  furnish  you  a 
hovel  to  shelter  you." 

Then  the  heartbroken,  freeborn  American,  would 
gasp  out  an  almost  inaudible  "  Yes  " — and  the  last 
spark  of  manhood  and  pride  was  gone.  He  had  given 
Freedom  for  the  means  of  merely  living.    This  would  be 


130  "UNCLE  SAMS       CABINS. 

followed  by  signing  the  "Bonds  of  Servitude,"  which  was 
done  in  every  instance  by  the  serf  making  an  "  X>  as 
none  of  the  tenants  who  signed,  could  either  read  or 
write.  After  the  bond  was  signed,  each  newly-made  serf 
would  be  obliged  to  kneel  at  the  feet  of  the  superin- 
tendent, who  as  the  special  delegate  of  the  Proprietor, 
appointed  to  receive  the  oath  of  the  serf,  accepted  the 
submission  of  the  slave. 

When  the  name  of  Rossmore  was  called,  he  darted 
from  the  line  of  men,  as  if  impelled  by  a  doubt  of  his 
strength  to  pass  through  the  ordeal,  unless  he  rushed 
ahead  while  nerved  by  desperation  to  do  the  deed. 
When  asked  the  question  he  could  utter  no  word,  and 
only  bowed  his  head  in  token  of  assent ;  his  mouth 
moved  when  the  oath  of  allegiance  was  administered, 
but  no  sound  escaped  from  his  parched  lips. 

As  he  arose  from  his  knees,  and  tottered  from  the  room 
a  hoarse  cry  of  agony  was  heard,  so  horrible,  as  to  startle 
even  the  callous  commandant.  Rossmore  fell  as  he 
reached  the  group  of  those  who  had  already  become 
serfs  by  signing  the  bonds,  but  springing  to  his  feet 
again,  with  foam  flecking  the  dark  garment  which  he 
wore,  as  it  came  from  his  drawn  and  distorted  mouth, 
said,  in  straining,  cracking  tones,  as  he  raised  his 
clenched  hands  on  high  and  shook  his  fist  toward  the 
heavens  : 

"Now,  Almighty  God,  I  call  upon  you  for  jus- 
tice!  Hurl  down  to  the  bottommost  pits  of  hell,  the 
departed  spirit  of  the  ancestors  of  every  man  made  a 
slave  this  day  !  Curse  them,  and  cast  them  out  !  Curse 
them,  as  I  do,  for  that  folly  by  which  a  few  men  were 
enabled  to  enslave  millions  of  others  !  Curse  them,  if 
thou  be  a  God  of — " 


"UNCLE   SAM'S"    CABINS.  131 

A  strong  hand  is  placed  upon  his  lips  to  hold  back 
the  intended  blasphemy ;  a  voice  strong  and  full  of 
sympathy,  cries  :  "  Hold,  wretched  man,  blaspheme 
not  your  Maker  !  " 

Then  Jack  Lawton,  (for  it  was  no  other  than  that 
young  clergyman,  who,  detained  by  his  preparations 
for  the  trial  of  George  Hollister,  which  would  take 
place  on  the  next  day,  had  addressed  Rossmore,) 
turning  to  the  men  around  him,  said  such  words  as 
angels  whisper  in  the  ear  of  the  condemned  sinner 
out  from  the  gates  of  Paradise. 

As  he  listened  Rossmore  burst  into  tears,  and  would 
have  fallen  again,  but  Jack  clasped  him  to  his  bosom, 
and  holding  him  thus,  told  the  story  of  how  in  ages 
long  ago,  a  bright  light  coming  out  of  Nazareth  had  dis- 
pelled the  darkness  in  the  lives  of  the  slaves  of  Rome — 
how  the  King  of  Kings  had  humbled  himself  to  dwell 
among  the  lowly,  that  he  might  show  them  the  way  to 
that  haven  where  the  first  shall  be  last,  where  the 
lowly  shall  be  exalted. 

Jack  spoke  in  simple  language,  but  with  the  elo- 
quence that  can  only  come  with  sublime  faith  and  sin- 
cerity. The  voice  of  the  earnest  preacher  rang  out  in 
rhythmic  measure  like  the  clarion's  notes,  and  sank  into 
the  gentle  cadence  of  sympathy  as  the  murmuring 
breezes  of  heaven. 

With  sweeping  gestures  the  occasion-created  orator, 
told  of  the  might  of  Jesus,  who  had  made  humble  fish- 
ermen, leaders  among  men  and  high  priests  in  heaven, 
and  when  the  weeping  Rossmore  cried  out  in  the 
angush  of  his  soul,"  Oh,  it  is  bitter,  bitter  hard  !  "  the 
minister  comforted  him  in  his  suffering,  and  told  of  the 
suffering  of  One  who,  dying  nailed  to  a  cross  on  Cal- 
vary, had  saved  mankind. 


\$2  "  UNI  It     SAM  S       CABINS. 

The  declining  sun  saw  a  sight  acceptable  to  the  Lord 
of  Hosts,  for  gathered  around  the  young  Soldier  of  the 
Cross  were  a  hundred  sorrowful  souls,  clinging  like  ship- 
wrecked sailors  to  that  everlasting  Rock  of  Ages, 
refuge  of  the  down-trodden  of  all  time  and  every 
country. 

The  superintendent,  Weaving,  and  the  commandant, 
paused  as  they  emerged  from  the  courthouse,  and 
gazed  with  amazement  upon  the  strange  spectacle  pre- 
sented before  them,  for,  on  his  knees  in  the  dirt  and 
the  mud  of  the  roadway  was  the  brother  of  the 
Proprietor,  praying  fervently,  surrounded  by  the  coarsely 
clad  slaves  of  his  mother's  son. 

Smile,  crafty  Weaving.  Be  shocked,  subservient 
superintendent.  Let  outraged  class  distinction  fill  your 
eyes  with  indignation,  brave  commandant. 

The  mother  looking  down  from  heaven  upon 
her  two  sons — one  in  his  mansion  in  New  York, 
the  other  on  his  knees  in  the  mire,  surrounded  by  the 
slaves  of  a  forlorn  country  section — will  not  disown 
the  one  you  criticise.  And  when  these  new-made  slaves 
in  the  evening  shadows,  stealing  homeward,  as  if 
ashamed  to  face  the  world,  even  though  veiled  in  dark- 
ness, bless  the  name  of  Jack  and  call  him,  710b  le,  brave 
and  godly,  a  mother's  spirit  beyond  the  realm  of  sin 
and  sorrow,  will  waft  to  earth  a  sweet  Amen  ! 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

FOR  several  days  after  his  father's  funeral,  Jack  Law- 
ton  had  sought  to  secure  the  attendance  of  an  expert 
in  cases  of  insanity,  to  be  present  and  testify  at  the 
approaching  trial  of  George  Hollister,  but  to  his  great 
surprise,  was  unsuccessful  in  his  search.  By  some 
miraculous  set  of  circumstances,  all  of  the  prominent 
physicians  of  the  metropolis  seemed  to  be  suddenly 
occupied  in  most  pressing  cases,  requiring  their  indi- 
vidual and  constant  attention. 

So  many  years  had  passed  since  Jack  had  lived  in 
America — or  rather,  ever  since  he  had  been  of 
sufficient  age  to  appreciate  the  condition  of  society 
in  his  native  country,  he  had  been  in  Europe 
studying  for  the  ministry — that  he  was  unconscious 
of  that  degree  of  fear  inspired  in  every  walk  of 
life  by  the  danger  of  offending  a  powerful  Pro- 
prietor or  owner  of  the  concentrated  capital  of  the 
country.  Not,  of  course,  was  there  any  apprehension 
of  bodily  harm,  but  the  dread  of  the  loss  of  prestige, 
and  ostracism  from  the  ranks  of  the  recipients  of  the 
patronage  of  the  only  class  in  a  position  to  support  the 
members  of  the  liberal  professions,  proved  more  preg- 


134  "UNCLE  sam's"  cabins. 

nant  with  terror, — than  any  fear  of  bodily  harm  would 
have  been — and  consequently  more  efficacious  (as  a 
restraint  upon  the  conduct  of  even  the  most  indepen- 
dent, who  fearing  for  the  consequences  to  their  families, 
generally  dependent  for  support,  entirely  upon  the 
remuneration  received  from  the  wealthy  for  profes- 
sional services),  than  the  danger  of  death  itself  could 
have  been. 

Such  is  human  nature,  as  developed  by  civilization, 
that  men  who  bravely  and  untremblingly  face  death  at 
the  cannon's  mouth,  will  shake  with  very  terror  at  the 
bare  idea  of  the  possibility  of  offending  the  meanest 
manikin,  who  is  the  chance  possessor  of  wealth.  So 
dire  and  dreadful  is  the  punishment  within  the  power 
of  those,  who  control  the  money  of  the  country,  to  in- 
flict upon  an  offender, —  and  that,  too,  while  still  keep- 
ing within  the  bounds  of  man's  most  carefully  written 
Law, — that  the  most  fearlessly  independent  man, 
environed  by  the  thousand  bands  of  affection,  and 
responsibility  of  civilization  and  society,  will  fall  weak 
and  trembling  at  the  slightest  nod  of  brazen  Mammon's 
golden  head. 

At  last,  reluctantly,  Jack  was  forced  to  abandon  the 
effort  to  procure  the  assistance  of  a  metropolitan  sur- 
geon, as  notwithstanding  the  tempting  fees  offered,  he 
had  only  met  with  refusal  in  every  quarter.  Finally, 
trusting  that  the  lawyer  at  Cleveland,  to  whom  he  had 
written  and  retained  to  defend  Hollister,  might  possess 
sufficient  knowledge  of  medical  jurisprudence, — to- 
gether with  the  obvious  insanity  of  the  accused, — to 
procure  an  acquittal,  he  left  New  York,  his  departure 
hastened  by  the  thought  of  Mary  and  her  mother. 

Mrs.  Hollister  had  never  seemed  to  recover  from  the 


"UNCLE   SAM'S"   CABINS.  1 35 

first  effects  of  the  shock  she  had  experienced,  but 
gradually  appeared  to  be  sinking  beneath  the  sea  of 
trouble  which  had  so  long  surged  around  her.  Every 
effort  to  revive  the  strength  of  the  unfortunate  woman 
was  futile,  the  sands  of  life  seemed  fast  running 
out. 

When  the  clergyman  returned  to  the  "  Parsonage," 
it  was  to  be  met  with  another  most  distressing  disap- 
pointment, for  he  found  awaiting  him  a  letter  from  the 
Cleveland  lawyer,  returning  the  retainer  sent  to  him. 
with  a  polite  but  positive  declination  to  serve,  in 
defending  a  tenant  charged  with  the  crime  of  the  mur- 
der of  a  superintendent  of  a  district. 

Lawyers,  had  Jack  but  considered  the  history  of  the 
passed-away  but  beloved  Republic,  had  ever  in  America 
been  more  susceptable  to  the  influence  of  the  capitalists 
and  monopolists  than  any  other  body  of  professional 
men.  Being  familiar  with  debate,  they  were  greedy  for 
political  preferment,  using  it  when  obtained  as  a 
pedestal  to  raise  themselves  into  prominence.  In  the 
old  days  of  the  Republic,  when  the  people  elected  re- 
presentatives, lawyers  struggled  for  the  mighty  aid  of 
corporations  and  capitalists,  to  help  them  in  their  race 
to  gain  a  goal  which  insured  them  an  opportunity,  to 
secure  safety  for  themselves  and  families  against  the 
wolves  of  want  ever  hovering  around  the  impecunious 
professional  man. 

In  the  fight  for  political  eminence,  it  was  so  well 
recognized  in  the  palmiest  days  of  the  represen- 
tative government  that  opposition  from  corpora- 
tions and  capitalists  meant  defeat,  that  the  most 
hardy  adventurer  upon  the  sea  of  politics  would  aban- 
don the  race  and  fly  with  every  sail  of  speed  set  for  the 


I36  "UNCLE   SAM'S  "   CABINS. 

only  port  of  safety — retirement,  if  opposed  by  corpora- 
tions and  capitalists. 

After  having  achieved  the  goal  by  an  election  to  the 
legislative  halls,  it  was  asking  too  much  of  human 
nature  to  expect  the  lawyer,  thus  with  the  golden  ap- 
ple of  ambition  fairly  within  his  grasp,  to  cast  it  aside, 
by  refusing  to  listen  to  the  advice  of  corporations 
and  capitalists  thereby  losing  their  friendship  and 
future  patronage.  From  corporations  and  capitalists 
came  all  the  large  fees  into  the  successful  lawyer's 
coffer.  To  secure  a  clientele  composed  of  that  class,  was 
the  consummation  of  every  ambitious  lawyer's  most 
rosy  dream,  even  in  those  virtuous  days  of  America's 
bright  season  of  political  purity, — the  latter  part  of  the 
nineteenth  century. 

Thus,  early  in  his  labors,  Jack  found  that  history 
ever  repeats  itself,  that  as  in  the  Dark  Ages,  the 
priest,  to  properly  fill  his  mission  must  be  not  only 
the  fountain  of  spiritual  knowledge,  but  also  the 
safe  keeper  and  repository  for  the  treasures  of  all 
knowledge,  in  that  age  of  darkness,  where  the  thriv- 
ing furies  of  ignorance,  lay  in  wait  to  steal  or  sub- 
merge all  learning,  beneath  the  lava  flowing  from  the 
volcano  of  Forgetfulness. 

Lawton  therefore  endeavored  in  the  brief  time  yet 
left  to  him  before  the  trial,  to  acquire  some  knowledge 
of  the  forms  to  be  observed  in  the  defence  of  an  accused 
man — and  trusting  in  God  and  the  justice  of  the  defence, 
insanity,  awaited  the  day  of  the  trial. 

The  trammels  of  society  surrounding  the  pro- 
fessions in  the  highly  civilized  state  then  existing, 
had  so  strongly  impressed  the  zealous  worker  for  the 
welfare  of  the  poor  people,  that  he  immediately  sent  to 


"UNCLE   SAM'S  "   CABINS.  137 

New  York,  to  procure  such  primary  works  upon  the 
subjects  of  Medicine  and  Law,  as  could  be  quickly 
mastered,  and  determined  to  devote  a  portion  of  his 
time  to  the  study  of  those  subjects,  finding  as  he  had 
already,  that  the  clergyman  must  be  the  physician 
and  lawyer  as  well  as  spiritual  adviser  of,  his  flock. 

Mary  Hollister,  as  soon  as  her  mother's  condition 
would  permit,  (which  was  during  Lavvton's  absence  in 
New  York,)  had  visited  her  brother  confined  in  the  jail 
at  the  military  post,  and  fortunately,  finding  him  in  a 
brief  and  rational  condition  of  mind,  told  him  the 
story,  of  Jack  Lawton's  great  kindness  and  generosity, 
which,  the  reader  will  recall  was  all  unknown  to  George. 

The  old  brave  spirit  of  that  race  whence  came  this  in- 
sane scion,  reasserted  itself,  and  forever  sealed  George 
Hollister's  lips  even  in  his  maddest  ravings,  concerning 
the  immediate  cause  of  his  attack  upon  Johnson  ;  Hol- 
lister refusing,  though  accused  of  the  gravest  crime 
known  to  the  law,  to  give  breath  to  a  vile  scandal,  which 
necessitated  the  use  of  his  sister's  name,  but  which,  if 
told,  might  serve  to  diminish  the  punishment  for  the 
deed. 

The  same  old  courageous  spirit,  which  had  supported 
the  American  farmer  in  his  onward  march  across  the  wil- 
derness and  desert  of  this  continent,  contending  boldly 
and  vanquishing  finally,  not  only  savage  inhabitants 
and  wild  beasts,  but  also  every  difficulty  and  obstacle 
of  nature  itself,  leaving  the  trail  of  his  journey  in 
fair  fields  and  prosperous  cities,  was  reawakened  in  this 
wretched  remnant  of  America's  free  farmers  in  the  Dis- 
trict of  Ohio,  and  he  determined  to  die,  rather  than 
disclose  the  base,  false  charge  made  by  the  dead  man 
against  those  nearest  and  dearest  to  him. 


138  "UNCLE   SAM'S"    CABINS. 


In  the  Federal  court  building,  in  the  city  of  Cleve- 
land was  to  be  tried  this  day  a  cause  of  unusual  inter- 
est, for  it  was  the  first  trial  which  had  occurred  of  a 
man,  in  America,  for  more  than  fifty  years,  where  the 
accused  stood  charged  with  daring  to  raise  his  hand 
against  the  representative  of  the  class,  in  which  was 
confined  all  the  intelligence,  refinement  and  wealth  of 
the  country. 

On  the  bench,  at  one  end  of  the  spacious  hall 
in  which  the  court  was  assembled,  raised  above  the 
heads  of  the  other  occupants  of  the  courtroom,  sit 
the  three  judges  who  will  decide  the  fate  of  George 
Hollister.  Their  heads  are  covered  with  wigs  after  the 
fashion  of  the  British  judges,  all  wear  long  silken 
gowns.  The  evidences  of  refinement,  as  well  as  intelli- 
gence, are  seen  in  the  countenances  of  the  men  who  are 
to  try  the  accused  man.  Of  course,  appointments  to 
the  Bench  are  only  given  to  those  having  the  endorse- 
ment of  the  all-powerful  Proprietors.  Juries  some- 
times proving  obstinate  and  inconvenient,  have  long 
since  been  abolished  in  America.  The  three  men 
upon  the  bench  are  not  only  judges  of  the  law  in  the 
trial  of  Hollister,  but  also  the  facts  in  the  case. 

The  officers  of  the  court  all  wear  uniforms — the  mar- 
shal is  resplendent  in  trappings  which  would  well 
become  the  costume  of  a  chamberlain  of  an  imperial 
court.  The  two  witnesses  of  the  crime,  closely  guarded 
by  a  file  of  soldiers,  are  half  concealed  by  the  raised  box 
or  kind  of  pulpit  in  which  the  prisoner  will  soon  appear. 
At  the  long  counsel  table  on  the  right  and  in  front  of 
the  bench,  sit  the  Federal  attorney  and  his  assistants, 
all  clothed  in  their  long  gowns  of  office,  and  like  the 
judges,  wearing  wigs. 


"UNCLE    SAMS'     CABINS.  I39 

The  only  ununiformed  figures  within  the  enclosing 
railing,  which  divides  the  audience  from  the  court 
proper,  except  the  two  witnesses,  are  the  two  figures 
(man  and  woman)  clothed  in  black,  who  are  seated 
close  together  at  the  table  opposite  the  attorneys  for 
the  government — and  even  the  man  seated  close 
by  the  woman's  side,  with  his  hand  placed  upon 
the  arm  of  her  chair  as  if  to  give  confidence  to 
his  weaker  companion,  wears  the  uniform  of  the  clergy 
— for  it  is  the  Rev.  Jack  Lawton,  who,  by  the  favor  of 
the  court  appears  in  behalf  of  the  accused.  Mary 
Hollister,  who  insisted  upon  being  present,  is  clothed 
entirely  in  black,  the  material  having  been  brought 
from  New  York  by  Jack  upon  his  return  from  that  city. 

The  veil,  which  is  thrown  back,  leaves  the  pale 
face  exposed,  which,  with  its  whiteness  and  beauty,  in 
the  black  setting  formed  by  folds  of  the  encircling  veil, 
shows  like  a  pure  pearl  rising  through  a  foam  of 
jet;  the  light  of  its  lustre  enhanced  by  its  inky  setting. 
Attorneys  across  the  table,  the  audience  and  even  the 
stern  judges  on  the  bench,  gazed  with  admiration  upon 
this  (the  once  common  but  now  almost  unknown) 
highest  type  of  womanly  loveliness  that  the  world  ever 
knew — a  beautiful  American  woman. 

At  last  the  prisoner  for  whom  the  court  waited,  was 
brought  in,  and  placed  in  the  box.  By  the  thoughtful- 
ness  of  Jack,  he  was  habited  in  a  suit  of  clothing,  supe- 
rior to  that  worn  by  tenants,  but  the  care  that  had 
provided  respectable  attire,  and  the  neat  arrangement 
of  hair  and  beard,  could  not  restore  that  absent  light 
of  reason  to  the  wild  eyes  which  glared  around  upon 
those  assembled  in  the  hall,  as  the  prisoner  stood  up  in 
the  box. 


I40  "  UNCLE   SAM'S  "    CABINS. 

The  trial  began  by  the  prosecuting  officer  reading 
the  charge  upon  which  the  prisoner  was  held,  (indict- 
ments of  course,  had  followed  grand  juries  into  banish- 
ment,) and  called  the  witnesses  for  the  government. 
The  only  cross-examination  given  the  two  men  who 
were  Hollister's  companions  on  the  fateful  morning 
when  he  met  Johnson,  was  to  ask  what  Johnson  had 
said  or  done  to  the  accused  before  the  assault  was 
made  upon  the  dead  man.  They  had  heard  nothing, 
having  walked  rapidly  away  when  ordered  to  do  so, 
and  as  they  had  quickly  obeyed  the  order,  the  two 
men  had  seen  and  heard  nothing  of  what  had  preceded 
the  killing. 

Anderson,  with  tears  falling  like  rain  upon  the 
railing  of  the  witness  stand,  was  forced  to  tes- 
tify to  the  expression  "  I  will  kill "  made  use  of 
by  Hollister,  as  he  rushed  from  Rossmore's  house 
the  night  of  the  meeting  of  tenants. 

Rossmore,  himself,  had  to  corroborate  Anderson's  evi- 
dence, but  being  a  serf  was  not  allowed  to  testify  by 
swearing  to  the  truth  of  his  testimony — he  simply  made 
a  statement.  When  the  government  rested  its  case, 
the  only  possible  chance  for  aught  but  conviction  was 
the  plea  of  insanity  which  Jack  had  filed. 

The  young  clergyman  arose  and  stated  in  an 
unaffected  way  the  facts  in  the  case  as  far  as  he  knew 
them,  and  then  offered  himself  as  a  witness.  When  he 
was  sworn,  he  testified  concerning  the  experience  he  had, 
when  he  called  upon  Hollister  in  his  cell  at  the  military 
post  in  the  section,  and  then,  with  his  face  red  at  the 
recollection  of  the  lie  he  had  told  Mary,  who  now 
watched  his  every  motion,  and  before  whom  for  the 
sake  of  its  bearing  upon  the  insanity  of  her  brother,  he 


"  UNCLE   SAM  S       CABINS.  141 

must  stand  a  self-confessed  liar,  he  told  of  the  struggle 
and  how  the  prisoner  had  bit  him,  his  old  friend,  as 
he  held  him  in  his  arms.  O  men,  can  you  never 
realize  the  sympathetic  intuition  of  the  souls  of  women  ! 
The  listening  woman's  eyes  filled  with  tears  as  she 
looked,  now  only  at  the  floor,  for  intuitively  she  knew 
the  anguish  of  the  truthful  heart  beating  in  the  breast 
of  the  man,  who,  to  shield  her  from  pain  had  told  a 
lie,  and  now  to  aid  the  cause  of  her  brother,  was  con- 
fessing it.  She  would  not  look  at  him,  but  loved 
and  honored  Jack  more  highly,  if  that  were  possible, 
for  the  lie. 

The  name  of  Lawton,  had  so  much  magic  in  it 
that  Jack  was  not  inconvenienced  by  any  questions 
from  the  government's  representative  ;  and  even 
when  Mary  gave  her  testimony,  and  told  of  all  the 
strange  actions  of  her  brother,  the  judges  looked 
with  kindly  eyes  upon  her,  the  prosecuting  officer  re- 
fused to  cross-examine,  saying,  "  I  believe  the  testi- 
mony is  true."  When  all  that  could  be  told  to 
substantiate  the  statement  that  Hollister  was  insane 
when  he  killed  Johnson,  had  been  given  in  the  testi- 
mony for  the  defence,  then  there  was  handed  to  the 
judges  by  the  Federal  attorney,  the  report  of  the  com- 
mittee "of  surgeons,  certifying  to  the  sanity  of  Hollis- 
ter. This  testimony  was  exempt  from  cross-examina- 
tion by  the  then  established   rule   of  evidence. 

Alas  !  small  hope,  poor  prisoner,  is  there  for  you  in  the 
evidence  before  the  court,  unless  those  three  silent, 
stern  and  thoughtful  men  sitting  to  judge  your  cause,  be 
moved  by  the  eloquence  born  of  the  heartfelt  emotion 
of  your  advocate,  your  doom  is  sealed  ! 

In  the  evolution  of  centralization,  the    administra- 


142  "  UNCLE   SAM  S        CABINS. 

tion  of  justice  still  retained  that  feature  of  the  old  pro- 
cedure which  had  ever  borne  hardest  on  the  cause  of 
the  accused,  for  the  prosecution  still  retained  the  closing 
argument ;  and  now,  as  of  old,  the  judges  left  their  bench 
to  agree  upon  their  decision,  with  the  unanswered  asser- 
tions, and  the  (often  unfair)  construction  placed  by  the 
prosecuting  officer  upon  the  evidence,  still  ringing  in 
their  ears,  just  as  formerly  the  juries  in  America  went  to 
the  jury-room  to  form  their^verdicts. 

The  reverend  advocate  for  Hollister  arose  to  plead  for 
pity  and  mercy  for  his  old  playfellow.  In  simple, 
straightforward  language,  Jack  Lawton  set  forth  the 
facts  concerning  his  efforts  to  secure  properly  trained 
counsel  and  skilled  experts  in  cases  of  insanity,  for  the 
defence.  Instead  of  blaming  the  professional  men  for 
lack  of  independence,  he  offered  as  a  most  reasonable 
excuse,  the  reason,  so  well  known  to  all  within  the 
sound  of  his  voice — the  dread  of  offending  the  Pro- 
prietor of  the  District. 

In  extenuation  for  his  own  shortcomings  in  the 
trial,  he  frankly  stated  that  he  was  ignorant  of  law  and 
court  proceedings.  "  But,"  and  as  he  said  it,  throwing 
back  his  leonine  head  and  with  a  sweeping,  majestic  gest- 
ure, pointing  to  the  prisoner,  in  an  attitude  recalling 
old  pictures  of  godlike  Daniel  Webster,  he  asked, 
"  When  my  old  comrade  stood  there  naked  and  defence- 
less before  the  piercing  blasts  of  prosecution,  could  I 
do  less  than  thrust  myself  before  him — the  memory  of 
boyhood's  happy  days  and  mutual  joys  from  the  grave- 
yard of  the  past  ringing  in  my  heart,  called  me  ?"  A 
tremor  thrilled  his  hearers,  and  even  the  hearts  of  the 
stern  judges  silently  responded,  "  You,  brave  spirit, 
could  not  do  less  !  " 


"  UNCLE   SAM  S       CABINS.  143 

There  is  a  magic  power  in  nobility  of  nature,  that 
sways  the  most  unsympathetic  souls.  Jack  Lawton's 
audience  (adverse  as  it  was  to  the  sentiments  he  ut- 
tered) watched  him  with  unwavering  attention  and 
open  admiration,  as  the  speaker  taking  from  the 
table  a  history  of  the  United  States,  and  holding  it 
aloft,  like  the  torch  of  truth,  told  the  story  of  the  cause 
of  the  crime  : — How  an  American  farmer  more  than  a 
century  before,  in  a  nation-killing,  freezing  winter  season 
of  Civil  War,  had  found  a  half-frozen,  harmless  looking 
animal,  and  thinking  it  a  rabbit,  had  placed  it  in  his 
bosom,  had  warmed  it  into  life  by  the  heat  of  his  la- 
bor, had  nurtured  it  by  his  food,  his  clothing,  tools,  and 
even  the  shelter  of  the  shingles  over  him  ;  and  how  that 
harmless  rabbit,  waxing  strong  and  lusty  on  the  farmer's 
substance,  became  an  all-devouring  wolf  of  Monopoly, 
eating  into  the  very  vitals  of  the  farmer  ;  and  how  the 
agonized  farmer,  in  his  self-created  pain  and  suffering, 
sought  to  conceal  the  cause  of  his  increasing  weakness 
and  illness  by  drawing  over  the  fiend  feeding  upon  his 
vitals,  a  shirt  of  patchwork,  made  of  the  many  colors  of 
an  unstable  Currency— thus  striving  to  conceal  his 
pangs  of  agony  by  hiding  the  cause  with  this  flimsy 
covering,  as  did  the  thieving  Spartan  boy  of  ancient 
Greece,  when  pressing  the  gnawing  wolf  closer  to 
his  disemboweled  body,  seek  to  conceal  the  cause  that 
was  killing  him  by  hiding  the  wolf. 

How  at  last  the  farmer  sick  unto  death  and  tot- 
tering, in  falling,  had  dragged  down  to  death 
the  mechanic  with  him  in  his  fall — and  how  when 
at  last  the  two  bodies,  stripped  of  flesh,  lay  bare  skel- 
etons in  the  potter's  field  of  the  graveyard  of  nations, 
Monopoly,  swollen,  but  still  an  insatiate  beast,  stalking 


144  "UNCLE  SAMS       CABINS. 

over  the  skeletons  had  been  stung  by  the  serpent, 
Murder,  which  was  born  within  the  fleshless  frames  of 
the  dead  farmer  and  mechanic — that  now  they  were 
there  to  try  that  "  Murder  " — that  the  all-devour- 
ing dealer  of  death  to  farmer  and  mechanic — that 
beast  and  brute,  was  called  Monopoly,  fiend-begotten 
child  of  Importation  Taxation,  and  against  its  charac- 
ter he  called  the  evidence  of  the  ages. 

And  then  the  retrospective  speaker  calling  America, 
"  A  wheat  field,  covered  thick  with  the  snows  of  that 
winter  season  of  Civil  War,  around  which,  Patriotism 
a  wall  had  builded,  was  swept  by  a  chance  wind  called 
Opportunity,  which  blew  the  drifting  snow  into  one 
corner,  forming  there  a  ball  called  Capital,  which  roll- 
ing, ever  growing  in  the  circular  currents  called  Com- 
merce, ever  gathering  the  wheat-protecting  snow 
which  lay  upon  the  field  of  prosperity,  crushing  and 
consuming  the  snow  confined  within  the  high  wall  of 
Patriotic  Law  by  which  the  field  was  surrounded,  until 
at  last,  the  snow  all  gone  or  clinging  to  the  all-absorb- 
ing ball,  Concentrated  Capital,  left'bare  the  field — thus 
leaving  exposed  and  unprotected  each  germinating 
seed  of  industry,  until  at  last  before  the  bitter  blasts 
of  despair,  the  seed  died,  and  in  their  decay  made  the 
soil  fertile  for  the  production  of  the  imported  thistle, 
Anarchy,  and  another  weed,  found  universally  where 
the  winds  of  despair  sweep  over  a  nation,  called 
"  Murder." 

Then  in  pleading  tones  he  begged  that  ere  the 
serpent-weed  be  ruthlessly  destroyed,  that  the  cir- 
cumstances causing  its  creation  be'eonsidered,  and  asked 
mercy  for  the  intuitive  act  of  insanity  caused  by  the 
desperation  of  the  doer.     Then  as  he  told  the  history 


"  UNCLE   SAM'S  "    CABINS.  I45 

of  the  prisoner,  the  tones  of  his  voice  grew  tender  : — 
How  as  lads  they  had  been  comrades,  shared  each 
other's  joys  and  sorrows  ;  of  the  true  and  loving  heart 
of  the  boy,  who  now  as  a  prisoner  stood  before  them — 
deftly  painted  with  glowing  words,  pictures  of  youth- 
ful deeds  of  kindness,  generosity  and  valor  done  by 
the  prisoner — how  they  had  vied  with  each  other  in 
tenderness  toward  the  baby  damsel,  and  for  the  honor 
of  her  innocent  baby  smiles  and  favor  ;  how  no  more 
dutiful  son  to  a  worn  and  lonely  widow  had  ever  been 
born  of  woman — how  that  poor  mother  now  lay  broken, 
almost  dying. 

He  paused  at  a  cry  from  Mary,  who,  sitting  near  to 
him  with  her  head  bowed,  her  frame  shaking  with  sobs 
of  sorrow,  had  listened  to  his  word  painting,  every 
line  and  color  in  the  picture  accentuated  by  recollec- 
tion and  association,  until  finally  unable  to  restrain  her 
grief,  the  sound  had  escaped  from  her  lips. 

The  momentary  silence  which  succeeded  Mary's 
cry,  was  broken  by  these  words  coming  from  the 
prisoner,  who  leaning  forward  and  reaching  out  his 
arms  toward  the  man  who  was  fighting  for  him, 
shouted:  "  Stop,  Jack,  stop !  Little  Mollie  is  crying. 
Stop,  you're  too  rough,  you  will  hurt  the  baby!" 
"  Silence,  silence  !  "  cried  the  marshal,  and  the  guard 
at  his  bidding,  rushed  toward  the  prisoner.  But 
all  the  marshals  ever  made,  could  not  quiet  the 
thoughts  of  the  madman,  who  in  fevered  fancy,  once 
again  with  Jack  was  playing  nurse  for  "Little  Mollie." 

When  order  was  restored,  Lawton,  in  whom,  what 
had  taken  place,  had  aroused  a  perfect  storm  of  emo- 
tion, striding  down  close  to  the  bench  on  which  sat  the 
judges,  and  flinging  prudence    to  the  winds,  raised  his 


146  "UNCLE   SAM'S  "   CABINS. 

hands  toward  the  heavens,  and  thundered  forth — as  did 
of  old  the  prophet  of  God,  when  telling  Israel  of  the 
wrath  to  come,  a  warning  to  those  who  fattened  and 
grown  strong  upon  the  fruits  of  crime,  would  now  punish 
with  merciless  hand,  the  evil  deeds  committed,  as  the  di- 
rect result  of  their  own  wrong-doing,  by  those  credulous 
tools,  who  had,  in  raising  them,  sunk  into  the  mire  of 
desperation  and  misery,  saying  as  he  closed  his  speech  : 

"The  God  of  Eternal  Justice  weighs  in  nice  balance, 
crime  and  its  cause,  holding  him  who  created  the 
cause,  none  the  less  guilty  because  man's  laws  permit 
him  to  escape  punishment." 

As  Lawton  sat  down,  something  like  a  sigh  came 
from  the  overwrought  hearts  of  his  hearers.  None 
could  fail  to  do  homage  to  the  boldness  of  the  man  who 
thus  struggled  against  the  tide  of  the  times  and  the 
adverse  current  of  public  opinion,  created  and  con- 
trolled by  concentrated  capital  for  more  than  a  cen- 
tury. The  Federal  attorney  rising  to  reply,  cast  a 
look  of  admiration  towards  the  man  who  unlearned  in 
law  but  strong  in  the  heaven-born  gift  of  eloquence, 
had  shaken  even  his  conviction  in  the  justice  of  the 
cause  of  the  government. 

In  a  brief  speech  (for  anything  oratorical  would 
have  fallen  flat  after  Jack's  argument)  the  prosecuting 
officer  reviewed  the  crime  and  evidence,  dealing  fairly 
and  honestly  with  the  facts,  in  conclusion  asking  for  the 
conviction  of  the  prisoner  under  the  law,  of  the  crime 
of  murder.  The  judges  withdrew  for  consultation,  the 
waiting  audience  became  restless,  a  stifled  buzz  and 
murmur  drowned  Jack's  whispered  words  of  hope  and 
consolation  to  Mary. 

At  last  the  door  behind  the  bench  is  opened  and  the 


"  UNCLE   SAM  S       CABINS.  I47 

three  judges  reappear.  Their  solemn  faces  fill  Jack's 
heart  with  apprehension.  The  marshal  orders  silence. 
The  presiding  judge  announces  the  decision — Guilty! 

Alas,  the  fraility  of  human  nature  !  Before  the  might 
of  the  money,  wrung  from  your  forefathers,  poor  pris 
oner,  the  valiant  arm  wielding  the  brand  of  eloquence 
and  justice  is  powerless  in  your  defense  !  The  Proprietor 
of  the  District  had  let  it  be  known  that  he  wished  con- 
viction, as  an  example  to  his  serfs  of  recent  creation. 
How  useless,  opposition  ! — A  scream,  and  Mary  fallen 
to  the  floor,  is  raised  in  those  arms  which  bore  her  as 
a  babe  in  many  merry  frolics,  and  carried  unconscious 
from  the  courtroom. 

The  presiding  judge  rising,  calls  to  the  guards  to 
bring  the  convicted  man  forward  for  his  sentence. 
Within  two  weeks,  for  so  the  sentence  says,"  Hanged  by 
the  neck  until  you  are  dead." 

Ring  out  ye  bells  until  the  iron  tongues  shall  crack 
your  brazen  throats  !  Sound  the  tidings  of  the  might 
of  money!  Pull  the  bell-rope!  Shout  ye  Serfs!  un- 
til thy  mouldering  ancestors,  more  than  a  hundred 
years  dead,  shall  awake  and  join  in  the  merry-making 
of  their  origination ! 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

THE  scene  between  Henry  Lawton  and  his  brother 
and  Jack's  angry  words  of  accusation,  had  neither  been 
forgotten  nor  forgiven  by  the  now  fully  installed  Pro- 
prietor of  the  District  of  Ohio.  Henry  Lawton  had 
not  found  it  necessary  to  do  more  than  merely  indi- 
cate that  the  conviction  of  the  tenant  who  had  mur- 
dered the  superintendent  of  his  estate  would  not  be 
displeasing,  to  insure  the  fulfillment  of  his  assertion  to 
Jack  that  he  would  make  a  terrifying  example  of  Hol- 
lister  for  the  purpose  of  awing  the  newly-made  serfs. 
The  thought,  however,  that  in  case  of  his  death  with- 
out a  son,  Jack  would  succeed  to  the  title  of  Proprie- 
tor and  the  property  of  the  estate,  was  a  continuing 
torture  to  Henry  Lawton.  During  Jack's  childhood, 
Henry  had  regarded  his  very  existence  with  absolute 
indifference,  it  being  a  matter  of  little  concern  to  him 
whether  Jack  lived  or  died.  During  the  brief  visits 
which  Jack  paid  to  his  father  at  their  mansion  in  New 
York  city,  while  the  younger  son  was  studying  at 
Yale,  Henry  had  seen  little  of  him,  being  little  inter- 
ested in  him.  Tales  of  some  of  Jack's  idiosyncracies 
would  reach  him   from   clubmen,  along  with   accounts 


"  UNCLE    SAM'S  '     CABINS.  1 49 

of  his  prowess  on  the  football  field  or  at  the  oar,  but  as 
they  amused  his  friends,  Henry  paid  slight  attention  to 
the  evidence  of  the  development  of  a  character,  which 
now  caused  him  great  annoyance  and  concern.  As  a 
graduate  and  young  man  entering  the  arena  of  life, 
Jack  had  awakened  an  envious,  jealous  spirit  in  his 
brother's  bosom.  His  physical  strength,  as  well  as 
those  mental  qualities  which  raised  him  above  the  level 
of  the  time-serving  man  of  the  world,  his  brother,  were 
not  calculated  to  endear  him  to  Henry. 

It  is  ever  the  case,  that  those  possessing  virtue  are 
hated  by  all,  who,  while  forced  unwillingly  to  admit  the 
advantage  of  its  possession,  will  not  strive  to  attain  it. 

At  the  time  of  the  death  of  John  Lawton,  when  the 
two  brothers  met  in  the  library,  Henry  no  doubt  in- 
tended that  peace  and  cordiality  should  in  future  ex- 
ist between  his  brother  and  himself ;  but  he  had  lost 
sight  of  the  fact  that  one,  in  whom  every  thought 
and  opinion  was  diametrically  opposed  to  his  own, 
would  hardly  be  able  to  render  himself  a  cordial  com- 
panion or  even  a  frank  friend  of  the  new  Proprietor, 
without  continually  offending. 

Jack  Lawton  had  certainly  gone  too  far  in  his 
almost  brutal  frankness  to  his  brother  in  their  last 
interview,  and  that  Henry  should  be  filled  with 
a  feeling  of  resentment  was  but  natural.  How- 
ever, that  feeling  was  not  apparent  during  the  time 
between  the  death  and  entombment  of  the  old 
Proprietor,  except  that  the  brothers  held  no  com- 
munication with  each  other.  Jack,  in  accordance 
with  what  he  had  said  to  Henry  when  they  parted  in 
the  library  the  day  of  their  quarrel,  not  only  remained 
in  the  mansion  in  Ohio,  but  also  in  the  city  residence 


150  "UNCLE  SAMS       CABINS. 

of  the  Lawton  family  in  New  York,  until  the  body  of 
his  father  was  taken  to  its  final  resting-place,  Trinity 
Church. 

Henry  Lawton  determined  to  use  every  precaution 
to  prevent  such  a  calamity  as  his  brother  Jack  becom- 
ing Proprietor,  and  sought  in  an  early  marriage  to  the 
lady  who  had  been  selected  by  his  father  for  him,  an  es- 
cape from  a  possibility  so  distasteful,  as  Jack's  ownership 
of  the  estate  was  to  him.  So  impatient,  was  he  for  the 
consummation  of  the  marriage  that  his  own  reluctance, 
to  forsake  the  pleasures  of  bachelor  life  had  heretofore 
delayed,  that  he  hardly  waited  until  the  flowers  upon 
his  father's  tomb  had  faded,  before  insisting  that  the' 
marriage  should  take  place. 

The  lady  whom  he  destined  to  honor  by  making  her 
the  Proprietress  of  the  district  of  Ohio,  was  the 
daughter  of  the  man  who  had  succeeded  to  the  owner- 
ship of  the  coal  monopoly  in  America.  Of  course  the 
monopoly  had  been  created  years  before  by  the  impo- 
sition of  a  heavy  taxation  upon  all  coal  imported  into 
the  country.  At  the  time  the  law  was  enacted,  it  was 
alleged  to  be  in  the  interest  of  coal  miners,  who  would 
obtain  higher  wages  if  not  obliged  to  compete  with 
the  cheap  labor  of  other  countries. 

The  farmers  and  mechanics  joined  heartily  in  the 
plan  of  benefitting  the  miners,  and  paid  willingly  an 
increased  price  to  the  American  mine  owners  for  the 
coal  used  by  them,  and  also  that  used  in  the 
manufacture  of  goods  used  by  farmers  and  mechan- 
ics, believing  that  the  miners  would  derive  large 
and  permanent  benefits  which  would  add  greatly 
to  the  prosperity  of  the  country.  As  a  matter 
of     fact,    however,      the    ancestors    of    the     present 


"UNCLE   SAMS       CABINS.  1 5 1 

owner  of  the  monopoly,  whose  daughter  was  to  be  the 
wife  of  Henry  Lawton,  owning  the  lands  and  houses 
near  the  mines  and  furnishing  the  supplies  to  the  miners, 
while  paying  truly  high  wages,  promptly  reacquired  the 
money  so  paid  in  high  rents  and  high  prices,  for  sup- 
plies furnished  to  the  miners. 

By  this  simple  process,  the  increased  price  paid 
by  the  farmers  and  mechanics  for  coal,  sifted 
through  the  miners'  hands  like  water  through  a 
sieve,  and  fell  into  the  pockets  of  those  controlling 
the  monopoly.  In  course  of  time  this  aggregation  of 
pennies — taken  a  few  from  each  citizen,  and  unfelt  at 
the  time  by  farmers  or  mechanics — amassed  themselves 
into  many  millions  of  dollars,  which,  growing  through 
no  effort  of  succeeding  generations,  but  simply  by  the 
accretion  of  interest,  came  into  the  hands  of  their  pres- 
ent possessor  by  the  mere  accident  of  birth. 

Margaret  Ashton,  the  daughter,  whom  it  was  agreed 
between  John  Lawton  and  her  father  Horace  Ashton, 
should  marry  Henry,  was  of  the  not  unusual  type  of 
woman  found  where  wealth  has  continued  for 
many  generations  in  one  family.  Without  pos- 
sessing beauty,  her  face  was  refined  and  intelli- 
gent, but  lacked  the  vivacity  which  formerly  made 
famous  the  beauty  of  the  American  women. 

However,  the  air  of  languor  was  so  universally  seen 
in  the  faces  and  manners  of  the  female  descendants 
of  the  monopoly  kings,  and  the  brutalizing  effects 
of  poverty  and  destitution  in  the  faces  and  forms  of 
all  other  women,  that  the  portraits  of  the  fair  American 
women  of  the  nineteenth  century,  were  regarded  by 
their  descendants  as  mere  images  of  the  painter's 
imagination. 


152  "UNCLE   SAM'S  "   CABINS. 

Margaret  Ashton  was  perfectly  satisfied  with  the 
arrangement,  between  her  father  and  the  old  Pro- 
prietor, that  she  should  marry  Henry  Lawton.  He 
was  in  no  way  objectionable.  He  was  well  born,  well 
educated,  of  high  position,  great  estate  and  a  polished 
gentleman — what  more  could  the  daughter  of  a  dozen 
millionaires  wish  in  the  man  she  was  to  marry? 
Hence  the  terms  of  the  marriage  contract  were  easily 
settled,  the  dowry  arranged,  and  with  the  first  flowers 
of  the  year,  Henry  Lawton,  his  hopes  high  for  a 
speedy  end  to  the  dreaded  possibility  of  Jack  becom- 
ing Proprietor,  was  married  to  the  lady  of  his  father's 
choice.  A  brilliant  ceremony,  stately  forms,  grand 
reception,  magnificent  gifts,  and — it  is  over. 

In  their  palatial  home  in  the  metropolis,  surrounded 
by  every  luxury  that  the  skill  of  European  artificers 
can  produce,  they  hold  their  semi-regal  court.  If  there 
be  less  demonstration  of  affection  than  formerly  was 
customary  between  American  men  and  women  bear- 
ing their  relations  to  each  other,  it  is  not  because 
the  couple  were  mismated,  but  because,  in  the  refining 
process  of  many  generations,  the  spontaneous  out- 
bursts of  the  love  which  is  natural  between  husband 
and  wife  in  a  crude  state  of  society,  were  now  consid- 
ered "  bad  form  "  and  no  longer  permitted  between 
the  married  people  of  refined  and  gentle  breeding  in 
America. 

Notwithstanding,  however,  fidelity  and  virtue  were 
as  much  the  rule  among  those  possessing  wealth  as 
it  is  the  inclination  of  the  vulgar  mind — to  doubt 
the  congruity  of  wealth  and  virtue. 

It  is  ever  the  habit  of  those  lewd  in  mind,  to 
imagine    that    all   mankind   are    only   restrained   from 


"uncle  sam's"  cabins.  153 

indulgence  in  immorality  by  the  lack  of  opportunity; 
and  reflecting  the  lewdness  of  their  own  minds,  believe 
the  wealthy,  having  time  and  means,  consequently, 
opportunity,  must  of  necessity  be  vicious — knowing,  as 
those  of  only  vulgar  minds  do — that  had  they  the 
opportunities  of  the  wealthy,  they  would  indulge  their 
vicious  propensities. 

Society,  in  which  the  Proprietor  and  his  wife  were 
prominent  figures,  was  simply  inane,  in  fact,  lacked  the 
vigor  to  be  violently  vicious  or  virtuous.  Surrounded 
by  every  comfort  and  luxury  which  the  unspendable  in- 
comes derived  from  the  interest  accruing  from  the  vast 
sum  of  money  inherited  by  them — procured,  with  no 
incentive  to  exercise  their  natural  gifts  of  mind  or  body 
— men  of  the  class  which  the  Proprietor  of  Ohio  orna- 
mented, deteriorated  in  each  succeeding  generation, 
mentally  and  physically. 

America  gradually  lost  its  prestige  for  original- 
ity, invention  and  enterprise.  To  Henry,  the  ac- 
count of  the  trial  of  Hollister  furnished  a  sensa- 
tion, and  therefore,  a  pleasure.  A  sensation,  too,  of 
satisfaction  unalloyed  by  any  indication  of  his  brother's 
statement  of  the  causes  which  led  to  the  crime,  and  the 
arraingment  of  men  of  his  class  and  ancestry  for — read- 
ing the  account  as  he  did  in  a  metropolitan  newspaper, 
one  of  the  few  daily  newspapers  still  published  in 
America,  which  had,  struggling,  survived  the  disasters 
that  submerged  the  commerce  of  the  country, 
all  mention  of  aught  calculated  to  offend  him  and  his 
class,  had  been  carefully  eliminated. 

For  it  was  now  the  law,  that  all  accounts  of  court 
proceedings  must  be  submitted  before  publication,  to 
an  officer  of  the  court,  who  erased,  corrected  and  inter- 


154  "UNCLE   SAMS"   CABINS. 

jected  as  he  saw  proper,  until  the  matter  assumed  such 
shape,  as  was  most  expedient  to  place  before  the 
public. 

However,  little  exercise  of  law  on  the  subject  was 
ever  required,  as  the  prevalence  of  poverty  had  so 
decreased  possible  purchasers  of  independent  newspa- 
pers, and  the  dearth  of  trade  had  so  diminished  that 
support  for  publications  formerly  procured  from  adver- 
tisers, that  the  period  of  great  journals  like  the  "  Her- 
ald," "  World,  "  "  Sun,"  and  "  Tribune  "  of  New  York 
in  the  nineteenth  century,  had  long  since  come  to  a 
close. 

A  free  press,  for  many  years  prior  to  the  passage  of 
the  law  referred  to,  had  existed  in  name  only,  because 
dependent  as  every  publisher  was  for  patronage  solely 
upon  the  only  class  having  money  to  spend,  the  press, 
like  the  shopkeepers,  farmers  and  mechanics,  became 
subservient,  moulding  itself  upon  a  model  pleasing  to 
its  patrons. 

Henry  Lawton,  at  the  same  time  that  he  received  the 
satisfactory  intelligence  of  the  conviction  of  Hollister, 
also  learned  of  the  successful  enslavement  of  the 
tenants  of  the  district  of  which  he  was  Proprietor. 
Visions  of  increased  profits  resulting  from  slave  labor 
in  the  farming  operations  of  the  estate  filled  his  mind 
with  pleasurable  anticipations  of  a  largely  increased  in- 
come— for  only  by  utilizing  the  labor  of  slaves  could 
the  American  landowner  successfully  compete  with 
those  favored  countries  where  cheaper  supplies  pro- 
duced cheaper  crops  of  cereals  and  cotton. 

The  conduct  of  Jack  Lawton  in  banishing  himself 
to  the  realm  of  gloom  and  poverty  over  which  Henry 
exercised  the  authority  of  Proprietor,  only  filled  the 


"  UNCLE   SAM'S  "   CABINS.  1 55 

great  man's  soul  with  contempt  and  annoyance.  He 
regarded  the  action  of  his  brother  as  purely  quixotic, 
insane,  or  the  seeking  after  notoriety.  It  was  impos- 
sible to  reconcile  such  conduct  in  the  mind  of  Henry 
with  any  sense  of  duty  in  one  born,  educated  and  sur- 
rounded as  Jack  had  been,  and  he  would  have  dis- 
missed the  subject  from  his  thoughts  entirely,  had  it 
not  been  for  the  constant  recurrence  of  it,  forced  upon 
his  attention,  by  actions  of  the  irrepressible  young 
clergyman  bearing  the  same  name  and  being  brother 
of  the  Proprietor. 

.  Soon  after  reading  the  published  account  of  the  trial 
of  Hollister,  Henry  Lawton  met  at  one  of  his  clubs  in 
New  York,  the  Federal  attorney  who  had  prosecuted 
the  case,  who,  intent  upon  ingratiating  himself  into 
the  good  graces  of  the  new  Proprietor  and  unaware 
that  Jack  was  in  disfavor  with  his  powerful  brother, 
said :  "  I  had,  recently,  the  honor  of  being  opposed  in 
the  forensic  field  by  your  Excellency's  brother,  in  the 
trial  of  the  Hollister  case  at  Cleveland.  Had  he 
devoted  his  magnificent  mind  to  the  study  of  juris- 
prudence he  would  have  no  peer  in  America.  His 
eloquence  and  the  grandeur  of  his  gestures  recall 
stories  told  of  the  mighty  Webster,  Clay,  Calhoun, 
Blaine  and  Conkling  during  the  debates  in  Congress  in 
the  first  century  of  the  Republic." 

Henry  Lawton's  repugnance  to  the  idea  of  enter- 
ing upon  the  explanation  of  a  difference  existing 
between  himself  and  brother,  as  well  as  courtesy, 
compelled  him  to  assume  an  interest  which  he  was 
far  from  feeling,  in  what  the  Federal  attorney 
had  said.  This  delighted  official,  congratulating 
himself  upon   the    successful    attempt   to    win     favor 


156  "UNCLE   SAM'S"    CABINS. 

in  the  eyes  of  his  "  Excellency,"  entered  more 
fully  into  detail,  concluding  his  narrative  with  the 
remark:  "  Were  he  not  bound  by  birth,  and  con- 
sanguinity to  the  landlords,  he  would  be  an  exceed- 
ingly dangerous  orator  for  tenants  or  serfs  to  listen  to, 
as  a  man  of  so  much  personal  magnetism  might  arouse 
an  insurrection,  which  his  evident  courage  would  make 
formidable  " — and  added  the  elated  seeker  for  influence : 
11  Were  he  not  your  Excellency's  brother  and  therefore 
safely  to  be  trusted,  I  should  feel  it  my  duty  to  rec- 
ommend to  the  authorities  his  immediate  restraint, 
either  by  incarceration  in  some  Federal  prison  or  ban- 
ishment. You  see,  your  excellency,  how  constantly 
watchful  an  official  must  be  of  the  interests  of  the  Pro- 
prietors, for  there  still  lies  dormant  within  the  farm-class 
a  spirit,  which  if  once  aroused,  and  led  by  a  man  of  your 
brother's  eloquence  and  courage,  could  only  be  ar- 
rested by  death  at  the  cannon's  mouth." 

Thus  Henry  Lawton  had  the  fact  of  Jack's  existence 
and  continued  quixoticism  thrust  again  upon  him  ;  had 
the  self-gratified  attorney  for  the  government  been 
aware  of  the  displeasure  with  which  the  smiling  Proprie- 
tor listened  to  his  revelation  of  this  new  phase  of  Jack's 
incomprehensible  conduct,  he  would  have  felt  less 
delighted  with  what  he  deemed  "  a  hit,  a  palpable 
hit  "  in  the  way  of  winning  political  preferment. 

As  the  irritated  landlord  related  the  circumstances 
to  the  inane  wife  of  his  bosom  (who  had  never  seen 
Jack  and  therefore  knew  nothing  of  his  marked  perso- 
nality) that  evening,  and  bewailed  the  fact  that  he  was 
cursed  with  a  brother  so  utterly  indifferent  and  blind 
to  the  dignity  and  high  position  which  the  system 
which  he  attacked,  had  enabled  the  Lawton  family  to 


"  UNCLE   SAM'S  "   CABINS.  157 

attain,  Mr.  Weaving  was  announced,  who,  in  the  capa- 
city of  family  solicitor,  (the  name  designating  the  pro- 
fessional  man,  formerly  known  as  lawyer  or  attorney,) 
was  privileged  to  call  uninvited  at  any  hour  upon  the 
head  of  the  family. 

Upon  this  occasion  he  was  especially  welcome, 
as  he  came  to  report  the  facts  concerning  the 
successful  enslavement  of  the  Lawton  tenants.  As 
an  evidence  of  high  favor  he  was  honored  with  a 
presentation  to  her  ladyship,  the  Proprietress,  and  re- 
quested to  proceed  with  his  report  in  her  presence,  as 
the  account  of  the  affair  might  afford  her  some  enter- 
tainment.   How  fearful  are  the  rich,  and  idle,  of  ennui ! 

Weaving  narrated  all  the  details  concerning  the  exe- 
cution of  the  "  Bonds  "  with  strict  fidelity  to  the  facts, 
eliciting  from  his  employer  when  he  had  finished, 
an  emphatic  "  Well,  thank  the  Lord,  it  is  over  !  Now 
there  are  no  cursed  tenants  who  are  freemen  in  Amer- 
ica !  " 

Weaving  interrupted  the  satisfactory  tenor  of  his 
thoughts,  however,  by  saying:  "Before  finishing,  I 
feel  it  my  duty  to  communicate  the  extraordinary  con- 
duct of  your  brother." 

Henry  raised  his  hands  as  if  to  wave  back  a 
subject  which,  like  Banquo's  ghost,  refused  to  re- 
main hidden,  but  the  lawyer  insisting,  said  :  "  I 
think  it  important  that  you  should  know  what  seems 
evidence  of  insanity  in  Mr.  Jack.  When  we  left 
the  courthouse  at  Carlton,  imagine  our  horror  at 
seeing  your  father's  son  kneeling  in  the  dirt  of  the 
roadway,  fervently  praying,  surrounded  by  the  herd  of 
slaves  which  we  had  just  created  after  years  of  prepar- 
ation and  endeavor,  with  the  eyes  of  every  one  of  the 


I  So  "UNCLE   SAMS       CABINS, 

new-made  chattels  turned  upon  him  with  the  fanatical 
faith  which  would  lead  them  to  commit  any  deed  at 
his  mere  bidding ;  and  that  was  not  the  worst  of  his 
performance,  for  I  learned  afterward,  that  he  had 
stood  among  them  that  day  ('  the  day  of  their  sor- 
row'  as  he  called  it)  bidding  them  '  hope,  be  of  good 
cheer  and  trust  in  the  mercy  of  God,  who  would  raise 
up  a  Moses  to  lead  them  out  of  bondage,  and  be 
a  mighty  salvation  for  them,' and  talking  thus,  had 
held  a  slave  clasped  in  his  arms  ;  and  he,  a  Lawton,  call- 
ing him,  the  serf,  '  brother  American  '  thus  blowing 
upon  the  dying  embers  of  that  pride  and  that  abomi- 
nable idea  of  the  equality  of  all  men,  which  we  have 
striven  so  hard  to  extinguish,  and  in  which,  I  had 
hoped,  we  were  at  last  successful." 

Henry  Lawton  heard  this  with  frowning  brow  and 
threatening  eyes,  and  when  his  Lady  with  a  languid 
silvery  laugh,  exclaimed,  as  the  story  was  finished : 
"My  brother-in-law  is  mad,  evidently  absolutely  mad. 
Henry,  I  had  never  married  a  Lawton  had  I  known  in- 
sanity was  apt  to  occur  in  members  of  the  family."  The 
Proprietor  smoothing  his  frowning  face  with  an  effort, 
and  addressinghis  wife  with  a  genteel  grimace  whichdid 
duty  as  a  smile  said — "  I  am  quite  sure,  my  Lady,  that 
our  Lawton  ancestors  were  not  cursed  with  the  pecul- 
iar form  of  mania  found  in  my  brother,  else  I  am 
equally  sure  we  never  could  have  aspired  to  the 
honor  of  having  you  bear  our  name." 

Then  saying  to  Weaving,"  My  brother  is  positively  a 
madman, Weaving,  a  dangerous  madman,  as  any  coun- 
cil of  gentlemen  in  America  will  readily  certify,  upon 
being  made  acquainted  with  his  actions."  He  paused 
and  muttered  while  meditating  "  What  is  to  be  done," 


"uncle  sam's"  cabins.  159 

"What  shall  I  do?"  then  as  if  resolved,  said  "Weav- 
ing, you  are  diplomatic  and  resourceful,  I  give  it  in 
charge  to  you  to  end  this  disgraceful  nuisance  in  some 
plausible  manner.  Keep  my  name  as  much  as  possible 
in  the  background.  Take  no  hasty  steps.  Make  no 
scandal.  Remember  that  the  man's  name  is  Lawton, 
and  he  has  many  friends  in  England  where  he  studied. 
Above  all  make  no  mistakes  in  coming  in  contact  with 
him,  remember  he  is  a  lion's  cub  and  will  use  claws 
and  fangs  to  the  death  in  a  fight." 

"  The  subject  has  many  and  grave  difficulties  to  be 
surmounted,  sir— I  must  have  time,  and  will  consider 
the  matter  in  all  its  phases." 

While  his  brother  and  his  solicitor  cogitate  upon  some 
speedy  method  of  securing  the  safety  and  seclusion  of 
the  madman  ;  what  new,  wild,  insane  ravings  is  the 
madman  indulging  in?  What  mad  act  is  he  committ- 
ing ?  What  violence  and  injury  to  himself  or  others  is 
his  mad  fancy  meditating  ? 

Down  in  the  dark  and  dismal  back  country  of  Ohio, 
in  the  section  where  we  have  wandered,  on  yonder 
hillside — in  the  orchard  beneath  the  trees,  where  the  air 
is  fragrant  with  the  perfume  of  the  apple  blossoms,  a 
grave  is  making.  In  yonder  house  all  silent,  save  the 
sobbing  of  a  daughter  mourning  for  the  loss  of  her 
mother,  stands  the  madman  ! — He  has,  stooping,  kissed 
thecold  browof  the  motherof  the  weeping  woman  whose 
hand  he  clasps  and  whom  he  comforts,  leaving  on  the 
wan  face  so  sweetly  beautiful  and  still  in  death,  a  tear — 
the  dead  woman  was  "almost  foster  mother"  to  the 
man — he  is  mad  !  Hopelessly  mad  !  The  dead  woman 
had  been  wife  and  widow  of  a  tenant — Another  of  a  man 
convicted  of  murder  ! Mad ;  Of  course  the  Man  is  Mad  / 


iGo  "  L'N'CLE   SAM'S "    CABINS. 

Mary  Hollister,  had  struggled  heroically  to  hide 
from  her  mother  the  hard  truth  concerning  the  convic- 
tion and  sentence  of  her  brother.  When  still  far  from 
home  she  had  mastered  her  emotion,  and  nerved  her- 
self by  Jack's  help  for  the  meeting  with  her  mother, 
but  concealment  was  impossible,  her  efforts  were  in 
vain.  A  mother's  eye,  accustomed  as  it  is  to  see 
mirrored  in  a  daughter's  innocent  face,  each  fleeting 
reflection  of  sorrow  from  babyhood,  is  hard  to  deceive, 
even  when  the  deception  is  born  of  a  daughter's  love. 
Mrs.  Hollister,  as  Mary  entered  her  room  after  her 
return  from  Cleveland,  for  one  moment  gazed  into  her 
daughter's  eyes,  and  uttering  a  moan  which  came  from 
her  breaking  heart,  turned  her  head  and  hid  her  face 
in  the  pillows,  crying  "  Oh,  God,  My  son !  my  son ! 
and  thus  moaning  and  crying,  clasped  in  her  weeping 
daughter's  close  embrace,  with  the  almost  transparent 
hand,  which  she  extended  toward  him,  held  by  Jack, 
her  spirit  passed  beyond  the  realm  of  pain  and  sorrow, 
— beyond  a  sea  of  suffering, — on  toward  that  shore 
resplendent  with  light  and  glory,  where  slaves  may 
shine  as  saints,  and  the  lowly  be  exalted  to  high 
places. 

Amid  a  group  of  serfs,  with  simple  prayers,  they 
laid  the  poor  worn-out  body  in  the  gentle  embrace  of 
ever  kindly,  gentle  mother  earth,  who,  when  life's  fever 
ended,  takes  again  the  child  to  her  bosom.  "  Dust 
thou  art,  to  dust  thou  shalt  return."  With  loving 
hand,  Jack  placed  fresh  flowers  upon  the  new-made 
grave  (Mad  !  Oh,  such  Madness).  Among  the  other 
tributes  of  affection  from  the  serfs — old  friends,  old 
neighbors  of  the  woman  they  had  buried. 

And   when  parting    with   Mary  at  the    door    of    his 


"  UNCLE    SAM'S  "   CABINS.  l6l 

"  Parsonage  "  (for  Jack  had  asked  Rossmore's  wife  to 
remain  for  the  present  with  Mary,  while  he  forsook 
his  comfortable  home  to  take  lodging  in  the  hovel  of 
the  serf  Rossmore,  fearing  that  his  presence  might 
compromise  Mary ; — this  delicacy  of  feeling  for  a 
tenant's  daughter  ; — Verily  !  A  violent  raging  lunatic, 
this  Madman — Jack  pressing  Mary's  hand  had  urged 
her  to  take  courage,  and  not  to  feel  alone  nor  forsaken, 
that  God  would  watch  over  her,  and  by  gentle  words  and 
brotherly  manner  tried  to  reanimate  her  drooping  spirit. 
Mary  looking  up,  her  patient  face  in  all  its  beauty, 
stained  with  tears  and  wet  with  weeping,  with  eyes  full 
of  trust  and  faith,  said  softly  "  No,  I  will  not  feel  for- 
saken, for  I  have  God,  and — ,  you,  Jack,  kindest  friend 
beside  me  "  and  the  gentle  maiden  took  his  hand  and 
kissed  it. 

Stars  look  down  in  wonder  on  this  strange  Madman 
as  he  wends  his  way  to  yonder  mean  hovel,  leaving  far 
his  comfortable  home  behind  him — And  all  for 
delicacy  of  feeling!  Madness?  Oh  !  Strange  Madness, 
'twas  the  same  strange  madness  that  made  men  stand 
'mid  mangling  beasts  in  Rome's  arena,  when  the  Light 
first  came  shining  through  the  darkness  of  idolatry — 
in  the  early  morning  of  the  day  of  Christ's  religion. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

THE  rising  summer  sun  folding  back  the  clouds  of 
morning  in  the  eastern  sky,  cast  long  shadows  from 
every  blade  of  grass  on  Ohio's  hills.  One  shadow 
casting  its  gruesome  shade  upon  the  velvet  green,  wet 
with  morning  dew,  which,  sparkling  in  the  sun- 
shine, stretched  a  jeweled  emerald  cloak  over  every 
field,  marred  with  its  sickening  pestilential  presence,  a 
scene  resplendent  in  the  glory  of  the  coming  day,  echo- 
ing with  the  music  of  the  morning,  poured  forth  from 
the  swelling  throats  of  nature's  feathered  choir,  welcom- 
ing with  gladsome  shouts  of  joyous  melody  the  coming 
beams  of  the  life-creating  monarch  of  the  heavens. 
The  tree — its  limbs  magnified  into  gigantic,  awful  pro- 
portions in  the  shadow,  which  marred,  and  made  gloom 
with  darkening  visage,  come  to  all  its  surroundings, 
robbing  the  grass  of  all  its  jeweled  splendor  as  it  stole 
upon  it, — came  from  no  seed  cast  to  earth  by  Nature, 
but  growing  from  the  seeds  of  Sin  sent  by  Satan, 
planted  first  in  Eden's  fair  garden,  had  produced  its 
fruit  in  due  season — Crime.  Its  ripened  fruit  would 
hang  upon  it — a  Gallows  Tree. 

This  was  the  day  fixed  by  the  sentence  of  the  court 


"  UNCLE   SAM'S  "   CABINS.  163 

for  George  Hollister  to  die,  the  gallows  had  been 
erected  near  the  spot  where  the  deed  for  which  he  was 
to  die  was  done.  By  instructions  received  from  the 
Proprietor,  all  of  the  serfs  in  the  section  had  been 
summoned  to  attend  the  execution,  in  furtherance  of 
that  idea  expressed  to  his  brother  by  Henry  Lawton,  of 
making  Hollister's  punishment  a  horrifying  example  to 
the  tenants,  now  so  recently  become  slaves.  On  one 
side  of  the  gallows,  pursuant  to  orders  were  gathered 
the  gray  clad  crowd  of  Lawton's  bondsmen,  their 
dingy  clothing  as  they  stood  close  together  making  a 
dark  and  dirty  blotch  upon  the  green  sheen  of  the 
field  in  which  the  instrument  of  death  had  been  raised. 
Between  the  group  of  cowering  men,  who,  abashed 
and  full  of  shame  at  their  so  recent  degradation  with 
lowered  heads  looked  upon  the  ground,  was  drawn  up 
in  line  a  platoon  of  Federal  soldiers,  their  rifles  with 
fixed  bayonets  brightly  gleaming  in  the  sunlight,  mak- 
ing a  silvery  band  of  steel  across  the  space  between 
the  serfs,  and  the  place  where  so  soon  one  who  was 
formerly  of  their  number  as  tenants  of  Lawton,  would 
pay  the  death  penalty  for  his  crime.  The  officer  in 
command,  in  the  dry,  metallic  tone  of  those  who  com- 
mand trained  soldiers,  gave  the  order  to  load — and  the 
sharp  clicking  of  the  mechanism  of  the  breech-loading 
rifles,  as  the  cartridges  were  slipped  into  the  chambers 
of  the  pieces,  was  heard  by  those  for  whom  it  was  in- 
tended ;  warning  the  bondsmen  of  the  hurricane  of 
death  preparing  for  them,  should  opposition  to  the  ex- 
ecution of  the  sentence  be  offered,  or  rescue,  be  at- 
tempted ;  as  the  command  was  given  to  the  soldiers  to 
resume  the  position  in  which  they  were  before  loading, 
a  line  of  sheriff's  officers  appeared  near  the  steps  at 
the  back  of  the  scaffold,  leading  to  the  platform  above. 


164  "UNCLE   SAM'S"   CABINS. 

At  the  head  of  the  line  came  George  Hollister,  the 
prisoner  to  be  executed.  On  the  left  side  walked 
the  sheriff  in  all  the  pomp  and  importance  of  his 
office,  the  many  brass  buttons  of  his  uniform  glitter- 
ing in  the  sun  as  he  turned  to  give  the  bound  man  as- 
sistance to  mount  the  steps  to  the  platform,  but 
another  arm  had  more  quickly  passed  around  the  pale 
prisoner, — an  arm  clothed  in  black,  and  stalwart, — for 
Jack  Lawton  walking  on  the  right  side  of  the  con- 
demned man,  clasped  him  around  the  shoulders,  help- 
ing and  supporting  him  as  he  ascended  the  steps,  down 
which  he  would  never  come  again  in  life.  Jack  Law- 
ton, — his  white  face,  above  his  black  robes  of  office  as 
God's  soldier,  set  and  fixed,  in  every  line,  the  iron 
jaws  clamped  together  with  determination  to  go 
on  with  his  sad  duty  without  a  tremor — walked  with 
his  arm  still  around  the  prisoner,  upon  the  trap  of 
death  at  the  front  of  the  platform,  repeating  the 
prayers  of  his  office,  and  speaking  words  of  hope  to  his 
old  friend,  the  prisoner. 

As  they  bound  Hollister's  feet  together  (the  noose 
was  hanging  around  his  neck),  he  said,  turning  to  the 
sheriff  "  Can  I  say  a  few  words  to  my  old  neighbors 
before  I  die?"  The  sheriff,  seeing  as  did  Jack  and  all 
those  near  to  him,  that  with  the  approach  of  death's 
grim  presence,  reason  had  reasserted  its  sway  in  Hol- 
lister determined  to  hold  dominion,  if  only  for  a  few 
minutes,  over  the  mind  which  so  soon  would  be  still, 
no  more  disturbed  by  thoughts  of  wounded  pride,  the 
past  glory  of  America's  freedom,  or  present  misery 
and  degradation,  answered  "  Yes,  but  be  quick  about 
it."  Hollister,  standing  on  the  trap,  his  arms  and  legs 
fast  bound  by  the  ropes  with  which  the  hangman  had 


"UNCLE   SAM'S"   CABINS.  165 

tied  him,  could  only  move  his  head.  Around  his  neck 
was  the  rope,  the  end  of  the  halter  swaying  with  his 
motions  seemed  a  serpent  coiling  about  his  victim. 
Looking  about  over  the  scene  so  familiar  to  him  in  the 
rambles  of  his  boyhood,  gazing  on  the  land  fair  and 
rich  with  the  verdure  of  early  summer.  Land,  which  as 
part  of  the  State  of  Ohio  had  been  one  of  the  fairest 
spots  by  God  created  !  land  owned  and  tilled  by  free- 
men !  Hollister,  in  the  fast  fleeting  moments  of  his 
life  seemed  to  recall  all  the  sad  story  of  his  country's 
ruin,  for  raising  his  eyes  to  Heaven,  with  a  sigh  more 
for  the  land  of  his  birth,  than  for  himself,  he  whispered 
"  God  have  mercy  !  "  Then  looking  over  the  line  of 
soldiers  to  where,  like  beaten  hounds,  the  bondmen 
stood  in  awe-struck  silence,  except  when  some  almost 
inaudible  whimper  torn  from  a  sympathetic  heart 
broke  the  deathlike  quiet  of  the  slaves,  who,  with  eyes 
fixed  in  terror,  gazed  at  that  white  face  turned  toward 
them,  which  so  soon  shall  take  on  a  still  more  ghastly 
pallor;  at  those  eyes  now  glittering  with  intensity  of 
emotion  as  he  speaks  to  them,  which  shall  be  so  soon 
closed  forever  in  that  dreamless  sleep  from  which 
there  is  no  awakening. 

In  a  voice  as  steady  as  the  tide  is,  without  a  shake 
or  quiver,  Hollister  said,  "  Old  friends,  old  neighbors  ! 
Before  the  falling  of  the  trap  on  which  I  stand,  I  wish 
you  to  hear,  that  in  the  tumultuous  memories  of  the 
past  few  weeks,  I  cannot  recall  to  mind  the  deed  for 
which  I  die,  except  the  shadowy  recollection  of  some 
words  which  when  spoken,  I  resented  with  a  blow  !  If 
my  weak  memory  be  correct  in  what  it  tells  me  those 
words  were,  so  small  is  my  regret  for  the  blow  I  gave, 
that  standing  on  this  fatal   trap   unbound,  and  any  vil- 


l66  "UNCLE   SAM'S "    CABINS. 

lain  repeat  those  words,  I  would  strike  him  down — 
In  plain  truth,  not  in  the  hope  of  mercy,  I  say  to  you, 
that  I  have  been  indeed  mad,  insane  !  the  wandering 
phantoms  of  my  mind,  frozen  by  the  cold  of  near  ap- 
proaching death  now  are  still,  and  in  that  peace  which 
comes  with  stillness,  I  know  surely  that  I  have  been 
mad. — If  in  that  madness  I  have  done  aught  to  merit 
death  upon  this  hateful  tree,  the  cause  of  that  mad- 
ness which  drove  reason  from  its  seat  should  stand 
here,  not  me. — That  is  the  criminal  in  place  of  whom  I 
die.  Look  at  these  fields  which  mile  on  mile,  on  every 
hand,  stretch  out,  until  the  oceans  East  and  West  carry 
their  undulations,  in  imitating  billows  far  out  to  sea. 
Once,  all  this  land  was  owned  by  freemen,  who  rich  in 
the  abundant  stores  of  freedom  left  by  their  sires,  sang 
as  they  followed  the  plow  which  brought  smiling  pros- 
perity to  our  shores.  Look  upon  these  same  lands  to- 
day !  still  fair,  still  fertile,  but  Alas  !  tilled  now  by 
slaves  attached  to  the  soil  which  they  till,  are,  bowed 
by  grief  and  shame,  silent  as  the  beast  dragging  the  plow 
they  follow;  misery,  despair,  insanity,  death  on  every 
hand.  Whatever  brought  this  great  change,  my  old 
friends  is  the  grand  criminal  in  the  place  of  whom  I  die. 
What  is  the  cause?  In  telling  the  Cause  you  name  the 
Criminal. 

"Tell  your  children,  when  they  ask  you  to  name  the 
Cause  of  the  great  change  in  this  fair  land,  go  seek  in 
their  ancestral  graveyards,  and  tearing  from  the  tombs, 
the  bones  of  mouldering  ancestors  long  since  dead,  call 
in  the  brainless  skulls  for  answers  from  the  fleshless 
jaws,  to  the  questions — Why  did  you  tax  your  children, 
into  poverty  misery,  despair,  madness,  slavery  and 
crime? — Why  did  you,  in  taxing  yourself  and  children 


"UNCLE   SAM'S"   CABINS.  1 67 

make  laws  by  which  a  few,  acquiring  all  the  wealth, 
acquired  the  power  to  make  your  children  slaves  ?  If 
those  poor  brainless  skulls,  so  deaf  in  life  to  reason 
will  listen,  those  fleshless  jaws  so  silent  in  life  will 
answer,  then  will  your  children,  in  learning  the  Cause  of 
this  great  change  in  our  country,  learn  the  name  of  that 
Grand  Crime  conceived  more  than  a  century  ago,  for 
which  I  die,  to-day.  Neighbors  this  day,  upon  this 
awful  tree,  I  pay  the  penalty  not  of  a  crime'committed 
by  me,  but,  meet  dishonorable  death  for  the  crimes  of 
blindness,  deafness  and  dumbness  in  the  ancestors  of 
those  who  are  America's  serfs,  this  day — Bonds  of  Servi- 
tude were  prepared  for  us  by  our  ancestors,  a  century 
ago." — And  here,  the  impatient  sheriff  seeing  a  motion 
in  the  crowd  of  bondmen,  and  hearing  an  ominous  mur- 
mur coming  from  them,  as  they  moved  nearer  to  the  line 
of  soldiers,  waved  his  hand  to  the  hangman,  who 
promptly  stepping  forward,  began  to  draw  over  Hollis- 
ter's  head  that  covering,  which  forever  eclipses  all 
light  in  the  world,  for  the  wretch  standing  on  the 
scaffold. 

Hollister  whispered — "  Father,  to  Thee,  I  come  un- 
stained by  bondage,  if  stained  with  blood." 

With  a  sharp  click,  the  bolt  was  withdrawn  and 
Hollister  shot  downward  out  of  Jack  Lawton's  sup- 
porting arm,  into  Eternity.  With  the  click  of  the  bolt, 
the  leash  which  had  held  back  the  serfs,  as  hounds 
held  by  leather  thongs,  parted — with  a  cry  of  rage  and 
despair,  they  darted  forward,  hurled  by  common  im- 
pulse toward  the  gallows  and  soldiers.  For  what  pur- 
pose and  for  what  reason,  other  than  becoming  excited 
by  the  scene,  and  Hollister's  speech,  they  were  over- 
powered by  emotions  making  action  involuntary,  will 


l68  "UNCLE   SAM'S"   CABINS. 

never  be  known.  Without  even  a  stick  or  stone,  with 
only  their  bare  hands  as  weapons  of  offense,  they 
rushed  toward  the  bristling  line  between  them  and  the 
quivering  body  suspended  in  the  air.  The  officer  in 
command  of  the  troops  was  young  and  nervous,  the 
whole  occasion  had  been  a  trying  one,  and  his  nerves 
were  not  equal  to  the  strain  placed  upon  them.  Not 
(in  charity  let  us  believe  it)  realizing  in  the  excitement, 
that  the  bayonets  of  his  men  were  more  than  enough 
to  meet  the  charge  of  the  unarmed,  unorganized  mob, 
that  with  cries  and  wild  gesticulations  came  madly 
towards  his  line — he  gave  the  order — 

"  Fire  !  Fire  at  will ! ! — 

Flames  darted  from  the  shining  rifles.  Like  a  field 
of  ripened  wheat  beneath  a  gust  of  wind,  the  on-com- 
ing mob  bent  to  the  ground  before  the  discharge,  some 
never  to  rise  again.  The  deadly  rifles  had  cut  gaps  in 
the  crowding  mass  of  men  at  the  close  range  at  which 
the  rifles  were  fired  ;  the  serfs  staggered,  paused,  the 
clicking  of  the  chamber  mechanism  of  the  rifles  told  its 
own  story  ;  again  the  rifles  began  to  flame.  Jack  Law- 
ton,  his  black  robes  flying  about  him  like  the  wings  of 
some  huge  bird,  sprang  from  the  end  of  the  scaffold,  and 
rushed  down  in  front  of  the  line  of  flaming  rifles,  be- 
tween them  and  the  poor  bondmen  who,  stopped  in 
their  onward  charge  by  the  first  discharge  of  fire, 
stood  still  as  if  stupefied,  not  knowing  whether  to 
flee  or  go  forward.  Lawton's  strong  voice  rang  out 
like  some  war  captain  or  hero  on  the  field  of  battle, 
crying  "  Go  back,  lie  down  !  "  The  slaves  cast  them- 
selves flat  to  the  earth,  or  turning,  ran  back  as  his 
command  reached  them. 

Jack  turned  and  faced    the  line    of   rifles  which  still 


"UNCLE   SAM'S"   CABINS.  169 

spurted  death  among  the  unarmed  men,  who  crawling, 
fleeing,  dying,  sought  safety  in  flight  only.  "  For 
shame,  for  shame  ! — Brave  soldiers,  stop  firing  "  he 
called,  as  with  arms  extended  he  ran  toward  the  flash- 
ing rifles.  He  stumbles,  totters,  reels,  falls,  but  spring- 
ing up  once  again  to  his  feet,  reeling  as  he  runs,  with 
arms  extended,  the  long  gown  and  wide  sleeves  making 
his  figure  herculean,  he  almost  reaches  the  line  of  sol- 
diers, grasping  out  before  him  as  if  he  would  gather 
the  death  dealing  muzzles  of  their  muskets  and  in  his 
own  bosom  hide  danger  from  the  people — he  falls 
downward  at  the  soldiers'  feet  shot  through  the  leg 
and  breast. 

There  is  a  point  beyond  which  iron  discipline  can- 
not carry  a  soldier,  no  matter  what  may  be  his  blood, 
race,  or  nation.  That  hard  taskmaster  the  great 
Frederic,  had  to  bend  his  iron  rod  of  discipline  when  he 
heard  his  army  singing,  the  Prussian  hymn  con- 
trary to  his  orders,  praising  God  for  victory  over  the 
Austrians.  So  with  soldiers  of  every  clime  and  coun- 
try, there's  a  strain  too  great  for  the  steel  rod  of  disci- 
pline to  stand  ;  the  strain  had  snapped  the  steel  in  the 
line  of  soldiers  before  which  Jack  had  fallen.  The 
age  of  chivalry  will  never  die  as  long  as  man  lives  on 
this  atom  of  the  universe.  In  different  form  and  man- 
ner, deeds  of  chivalry  will  be  done  and  applauded  so 
long  as  the  hearts  of  men  are  warm  with  love  and 
courage.  A  knightly  deed  done  in  no  stronger  armor 
than  the  black  robes  worn  by  Jack  as  he  lay  shot  and 
bleeding,  will  move  men's  hearts  with  the  same  emo- 
tion, as  when  such  deeds  were  done  by  brave  knights 
clad  in  shining  steel  armor. 

The  men,  casting  down  their  rifles  as  if  by  mutual 


i;o  "UNCLE   SAM'S*'   CABINS. 

consent,  moved  by  one  feeling,  admiration  ;  breaking 
their  ranks,  gathered  around  the  body  of  the  black- 
gowned  clergyman  ;  an  old  sergeant,  assuming  as  if  by 
right  of  experience,  the  lead,  ordered  the  men  who 
pressed  forward  to  move  back  and  give  more  air,  and 
kneeling  by  the  prostrate  figure,  turned  it  over  and 
began  a  search  for  the  wounds.  As  he  raised  Jack's 
head,  the  eyes  opened  and  looked  up,  and  seeing  a  sol- 
dier, the  motion  of  the  lips  more  than  the  voice  said, 
"  Stop  fir — "  and  once  more,  the  eyes  closed  and  the 
lips  were  still.  As  the  grizzled  old  sergeant  staunched 
the  blood  flowing  from  the  unconscious  man's  bosom, 
he  muttered  to  those  nearest  to  him,  who,  peering  over 
his  shoulder,  watched  with  anxious  eyes,  the  operation 
— "  He's  not  dead  yet,  small  thanks  to  us." 

The  commanding  officer  who  now  made  his  way 
through  the  circle  surrounding  the  wounded  clergy- 
man came  close  to  the  sergeant  and  said  softly  to  him, 
"  Is  he  dead  ?  "  "  No,  sir,"  replied  the  old  soldier,  "  but 
badly  hurt."  "  It  is  awfully  unfortunate,"  said  the  offi- 
cer, "because  he  is  the  Rev.  Mr.  Lawton,  brother  of 
the  Proprietor."  "  I  don't  care  a — Beg  your  pardon, 
sir.  I  mean  no  matter  whose  brother  he  is,  he  is  the 
bravest  man  I  ever  saw.  Why  sir,  he  tried  to  make 
himself  as  big  as  he  could  by  stretching  out  those 
black  wings  he  has  on,  so  the  balls  would  hit  him  and 
not  reach  the  cattle  who  charged  us!  We  men  all 
feel  bad  about  killing  him,  sir.  A  man  who  is  ready 
to  catch  a  ball  in  his  own  body  to  save  a  comrade, 
much  more  to  save  only  that  scum,  is  too  good  to  be 
shot  like  this"  said  the  soldier,  as  he  rose,  disci- 
pline reasserting  itself,  and  saluted  his  officer.  "Four 
men     form    your    muskets    into     a    stretcher,"     said 


"UNCLE   SAM'S  "   CABINS.  171 

the  officer  "  and  sergeant  take  command  of  the  party 
and  carry  Mr.  Lawton  to  the  barracks  as  carefully  as 
possible," — and  addressing  the  men  he  said,  "  Now  fall 
in  men,  it's  all  right," — speaking  of  their  leaving  the 
ranks.  The  young  officer  felt  as  keenly  as  the  men, 
great  regret  for  the  shooting  of  the  clergyman,  brother 
or  not  of  the  Proprietor — and  as  he  added  "  we  all  feel 
badly,"  the  men  took  up  their  rifles  and  formed  into 
line,  with  gloomy  faces  and  many  side-long  glances  at 
the  party  of  soldiers  bearing  the  still  form  of  Jack  tow- 
ard the  barracks. 

Had  the  bearers  of  the  wounded  man  been  carrying 
the  frailest  wounded  child  or  woman  they  could  not 
have  been  more  gentle.  At  the  slightest  jolt  or  stum- 
ble of  a  carrier  or  at  a  groan  from  the  now  reviving 
Jack,  the  profane  but  good-hearted  sergeant  was  growl- 
ing at  his  squad.  Had  each  man  had  a  hundred  eyes, 
they  would  all  have  been  well  cursed  before  the  jour- 
ney was  ended,  for  the  old  non-commissioned  officer 
was  around  the  litter  like  a  hawk  hovering  over  a 
brood  of  chickens,  grumbling  in  the  hoarse  tones  com- 
mon with  old  troopers,  half  to  himself  and  half  for  those 
whom  he  commanded. 

"If  these  chaplain  chaps  have  such good  stuff 

as  this  is  among  them,  I'm if  I  don't  go  to  their 

preaching  shops  on  Sundays."  Then  he  would  mutter 
to  himself  and  parts  of  sentences  would  come  gruffly 
from  his  tobacco-stained,  old  lips  "  Die  for  other  chaps 
— "  "  Was  just  a-doin' — "  Wonder  if  our  chaplain — 
Chest  white  as  wo — Whip  any  man  in — That's  the 
stuff,  a-doin,  not  a-talkin — He—  lead  a  charge  to — and 
over  it — "  and    then  breaking  out   at  one  of  the  men 

who    stumbled  and  Jack  groaned  "  Where  in  the 

are  your eyes." 


172  "UNCLE   SAM'S  "    CABINS. 

By  the  time  the  men  carrying  the  clergyman  upon 
the  improvised  stretcher  had  gone  one  mile  of  the 
road  toward  the  barracks,  the  news  of  his  being  hurt 
seemed  to  have  been  carried  by  the  very  wind  to 
every  humble  hovel  of  the  section  ;  for  across  every 
field  came  men,  women  and  children ;  fear  of  the  sol- 
diers who  so  lately  had  fired  upon  them  seemed  to 
have  no  effect  upon  them,  even  though  the  marching 
detachment  of  soldiers  was  but  a  few  rods  ahead  of 
the  litter.  The  people  would  press  up  near  to  the 
burden  which  the  soldiers  were  carrying,  and  in  spite 
of  the  sergeant's  frowning  face  and  oaths,  insist 
upon  knowing  how  badly  Jack  was  hurt,  and  if  he  were 
dead.  The  sergeant  with  dire  threats  and  gestures, 
ordered  them  back,  rumbling  in    surly  tones   "  He    is 

too good  to  be    killed  for  you.     Get  back  or  I'll 

stick  a  bayonet  into  you."  Then  the  people  formed 
themselves  into  a  perfect  procession  augmented  at 
every  by-path  by  new-comers,  and  followed  the  man 
who  had  been  shot  while  trying  to  save  them,  to  the 
gates  of  the  barracks,  and  loitering  around,  they  would 
question  every  soldier  coming  near  the  gateway  as  to 
Jack's  wounds  and  condition  and  ask  "What  did  the 
surgeon  say?" 

When  night  came,  many  still  remained  watching 
around  the  barracks  hoping  to  hear  something  definite. 
And  this  was  the  party  of  serfs  who  saw  the  figure  of 
a  woman  clad  all  in  black  run  across  a  field  and  up  the 
road  until  she  came  to  the  barracks,  saw  her  as  she 
spoke  long  and  earnestly  with  the  sentinel  on  duty, 
after  seemingly  much  urging  and  persuasion,  heard  him 
call  the  officer  of  the  guard,  saw  the  woman  as  with 
earnest  gestures  she  talked  with  the  officer.     Saw  him 


"UNCLE  SAMS       CABINS.  173 

— leave  her  standing  at  the  gate  and  waiting — go  away 
and  soon  returning,  raise  his  hat  with  grave  dignity, 
salute  the  waiting  woman.  Saw  the  guard  "present 
arms  "  with  respect,  and  the  officer  conduct  her  with 
great  kindness  through  the  gateway.  As  she  turned 
to  enter  the  barrracks,  the  party  that  was  waiting  saw 
a  pale  face  in  the  moonlight,  and  they  murmured  a 
thanksgiving,  for  they  knew  Jack  could  lack  no  nurs- 
ing, when  the  gentle  hand  of  Mary  Hollister  was  near 
his  pillow. 

****** 

After  the  firing  had  ceased  and  the  serfs  scattered, 
the  hangman  by  order  of  the  sheriff  took  down  the 
rigid  body  of  George  Hollister  and  was  preparing  to 
take  it  away  with  him,  when  Rossmore  careless,  of  the 
risk  he  ran,  came  forward  out  of  the  bushes  where  he 
had  been  hiding  and  begged  the  sheriff  for  permission 
to  bury  the  body.  That  officer  glad  to  be  rid  of  the 
trouble  of  burying  it,  said — "  You  may  have  it,  it  can 
do  no  more  harm  in  this  world — ."  Rossmore  laid  the 
body  on  the  grass  of  the  field,  over  which,  the  poor 
still  feet  had  often  raced  with  shouts  of  glee  to  catch 
the  prettiest  butterflies  for  "  Baby  Mollie — "  Here 
with  Jack  as  the  horse,  he  now  lying  cold,  had  played 
coachman  for  the  chariot  of  the  household  queen — 
"The  baby."  Now,  watched  only  by  a  serf,  his  body 
lies  alone  upon  the  field  of  so  many  happy  hours  of 
boyhood. 

Ja^k  Lawton  had  promised  Mary  when  he  left,  that 
awful  morning,  that  he  would  take  charge  of  his  old 
playmate's  body  and  would  bury  it  in  the  orchard 
beside  her  mother.  Poor  Mary  had  become  so  weak 
and  broken  by  the  host  of  sorrows  coming  on  her  that 


i;  j.  '•  UNCI  E    SAM'S  "    CABINS. 

at  the  last  act  of  this  drama  of  death,  she,  completely 
crushed,  had  fallen  into  a  semi-unconscious  state- 
where  utterly  unable  to  move  from  the  bed  on  which 
he  placed  her,  with  Rossmore's  wife  watching  her, 
Jack  had  left  to  be  with  George  in  the  closing  scene 
of  all,  to  his  poor  old  comrade.  But  by  the  shooting 
of  Jack  all  the  plans  made  for  the  burial,  were  dis- 
arranged, however  Jack  had  asked  Rossmore  to  assist 
him  in  the  matter,  telling  the  serf  what  he  intended 
doinc,  so  when  Tack  was  shot  down,  Rossmore,  faithful 
fellow,  determined  to  risk  the  danger  and  carry  out 
what  the  clergyman  had  intended. 

Rossmore,  when  he  came  to  the  scaffold,  overheard 
a  soldier  tell  the  sheriff  that  Jack  while  badly  wounded 
was  not  dead — as  the  soldiers  left  the  field  followed 
by  the  sheriff's  deputies,  the  serfs  hidden  behind  the 
bushes  and  in  the  ditches  which  skirted  the  field,  came 
out  of  their  concealment,  seeking  for  their  friends  and 
kinsmen — for  the  field  was  filled  with  the  bodies  of 
dead  men  and  many  lying  there  not  dead,  were  so 
badly  wounded  as  to  be  unable  to  do  more  than  cry 
with  anguish.  Mingling  with  the  cries  of  agony  com- 
ing from  the  wounded,  came  the  sound  of  weeping 
and  moaning  as  the  women  and  children  came  run- 
ning to  the  scene  of  slaughter,  called  hither  by  the 
discharges  of  the  soldier's  rifles.  To  draw  the  picture 
even  in  words,  or  try  to  tell  the  story  of  that  day 
of  death  among  the  slaves  would  be  too  horrible 
for  pen  or  pencil  guided  by  any  hand  of  flesh  and 
blood. 

From  the  shambles  of  that  field  of  death,  those  who 
had  dead,  weeping,  carried  the  bodies  to  their  cabins; 
there  to  sit  and  weep  awhile  beside  the   dead  loved 


"UNCLE   SAMS   '   CABINS.  175 

one  with  no  eyes  but  God's  to  see  them.  Those  who  had 
wounded  ones  to  help,  made  stretchers  of  the  branches 
fallen  from  trees  in  the  near  forest,  and  taking  off 
their  coarse  blouses,  covered  the  hard  wood  of  the 
rude  litters  with  them,  by  the  help  of  friends^and  neigh- 
bors more  fortunate  than  themselves  in  having  neither 
dead  nor  wounded,  who  gladly  offered  assistance  to 
their  suffering  brethren,  they  carried  away  their  suffering 
ones.  That  night  from  many  rude  cabins  came  groans, 
from  the  lips  of  the  maimed  and  shattered  serfs,  which, 
together  with  the  wailing  of  the  weeping  women,  crying 
for  their  dead,  arose  as  a  paean  to  the  souls  of  their 
dead  forefathers,  sounding  the  advent  of  that  strong 
central  government,  so  prayed  for  by  ancestors  of 
those  serfs  now  suffering,  dead  and  dying. 

Rossmore  waited  by  the  body  until  those  who  living, 
wounded,  needed  most  prompt  attention.  As  the 
shades  of  evening  fell  upon  the  landscape,  he  gathered 
around  the  body,  those  of  his  neighbors  not  engaged 
in  sadder  duties,  and  formed  them  into  a  line  of 
mourners  who  silent  with  sincerest  grief,  followed,  in 
the  gathering  gloom  of  night,  the  body  of  the  man 
who  died  upon  the  gallows,  to  the  grave  prepared  in 
the  orchard  by  the  side  of  the  mother  who  had  gone 
before  him.  Solemnly  they  placed  in  the  coffin  pro- 
vided by  Jack's  orders,  the  body  of  Hollister ;  before 
the  lid  was  closed,  forever  hiding  from  all  mortal  sight, 
the  man  made  mad  and  criminal  by  the  credulity  and 
blindness  of  his  sires  ;  Mary,  the  poor  sister  of  the  dead 
madman,  leaning  heavily  in  her  weakness  on  the  kindly 
bosom  of  the  serf,  wife  of  Rossmore,  came  to  the  grave- 
side to  imprint  a  parting  kiss  upon  the  brow  of  her  dead 
brother.     In  her  helplessness,  missing  the  supporting 


176  "UNCLE   SAM'S"   CABINS. 

hand,  the  comforting  voice  of  one,  who  lately  had  been 
ever  near  her  in  her  trouble,  seeing  Rossmore  cast  the 
sod  from  the  new-made  grave  down  on  the  coffin  that 
friendly  hands  had  lowered  upon  the  final  couch  of  all 
mankind,  and  hearing  "  Dust  thou  art,  to  dust  thou 
shalt  return,"  uttered  by  another  voice  than  Jack's, 
Mary  asked  of  those  about  her,  where  the  friend  who 
had  so  stoutly  stood  by  the  enslaved  people,  was — Not 
accepting  the  well-intended,  evasive  answers  of  those 
who  sympathizing  with  the  broken-hearted  woman, 
sought  to  save  her  from  new  grief  and  sorrow  she  learned 
the  terrible  truths  concerning  that  field  of  slaughter, 
where  her  brother  had  died  to  answer  for  the  crimes 
of  others.  How  Jack  with  arms  around  him,  stood 
upon  the  gallows  with  her  lost  brother,  how  from  Jack's 
very  arms  he  had  fallen  to  his  untimely  death — Then 
they  told  her  of  the  crazed  charge  of  the  unarmed  serfs 
upon  the  soldiers,  of  the  scene  of  death  and  slaughter, 
how  springing  from  the  scaffold,  Jack  had  stayed  the 
battle,  and  how  in  doing  it,  he  had  fallen  badly  hurt, 
giving,  as  had  done  the  Master  whom  he  followed  with 
knightly  courage,  his  best  blood  to  save  the  people. 

Long  before  the  story  was  ended,  Mary,  tender, 
grateful,  loving  woman  had  recovered  from  all  signs  of 
weakness.  In  the  wounding  of  Jack,  her  helper,  succor 
— the  staff  of  strength  in  her  great  trials — new  life  and 
courage  came  to  the  almost  fainting  woman.  When 
she  learned  where  he  was  lying — wounded  and  suffer- 
ing— needing  help — perhaps,  was  dying,  all  her  weak- 
ness departed,  he,  her  only  friend  might  need  her. 
Heedless  of  advice  and  warning,  caring  nothing  for 
appearances,  with  all  the  speed  of  her  newly-discovered 
vigor,  with  one  farewell  look   of  sorrow  on  the  newly- 


"UNCLE   SAM'S"   CABINS.  1 77 

covered  grave  of  one  of  her  loving  friend  in  childhood 
— a  brother, — she  hastened  to  the  bedside  of  another. 
Vaunt  not  thy  strength  and  courage,  ye  mighty  men  ! 
Within  the  weak  frame  of  the  frailest  woman,  there 
beats  a  heart,  inherited  from  the  first  woman,  so  full 
of  love,  that  in  the  hour  of  trial  for  the  object  of  its 
affection — that  frame  (so  full  of  weakness  in  its  hours  of 
ease)  can  become  so  strong  so  firm  as  to  put  to 
blush,  the  faltering,  trembling  man,  who  strutting 
boastfully  has  proclaimed  his  strength.  Oh  woman  ! 
woman. — 

— When  pain  and  anguish  wring  the  brow 
A  ministering  angel,  thou." 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

Mr.  Weaving,  unlike  the  great  majority  of  his 
clients,  did  not  intend  to  go  to  London  for  the  "  Sea- 
son " — whither  the  Proprietor  of  Ohio  and  his  Lady 
would  soon  hasten,  to  join  all  the  other  Proprietors 
of  America  and  the  majority  of  the  American 
Landlords,  who,  while  visiting  annually  their  es- 
tates in  the  once,  United  States,  had  their  permanent 
residences,  of  course,  in  Europe ;  however,  Mr.  Weav- 
ing did  not  intend  to  follow  his  clients  in  their  jour- 
ney across  the  Atlantic  this  Summer — while  the 
solicitor  had  accumulated  a  large  fortune  from  the  pat- 
ronage of  the  wealthy  class  of  America,  indeed  a  for- 
tune amply  sufficient  to  enable  him  to  retire  from  the 
practice  of  his  profession,  even  had  his  tastes  been 
greatly  more  expensive  than  they  were,  he  still  labored 
in  the  cause  of  his  clients jis  if  his  daily  bread  depended 
upon  his  practice.  Being  an  unmarried  man  with  no 
family  to  provide  for,  it  was  a  matter  of  wonder  with 
his  indolent  clients,  the  zeal  and  application  exhibited 
by  the  lawyer — When,  in  reply  to  the  condescending 
invitation,  extended  by  Henry  Lawton  to  his  solicitor, 
that  he  visit  him  this  summer  either  at  the  Proprietor's 


"UNCLE   SAM'S  "    CABINS.  1 79 

home  in  London  or  his  villa  in  Switzerland,  Mr.  Weav- 
ing said  "  I  feel  greatly  honored  by  your  kind  invita- 
tion, sir,  but  shall  be  obliged  to  deny  myself  the  honor 
of  being  the  guest  of  the  most  condescending  of  Pro- 
prietors, my  professional  duties  imperatively  demand 
my  constant  presence  in  America  this  summer. " 

Lawton  with  a  quizzical  smile  rejoined,  "  Weaving, 
I  really  believe  that  you  are  a  miser/as  I  heard  the  Pro- 
prietor of  Iowa  declare  the  other  evening  at  the  "  Ex- 
clusion Club "  and  he  said  '  That  man  must  be  a 
Hebrew,  to  work  so  hard  for  money  which  he  does 
not  spend!'  How  is  it,  Weaving?  Are  you  a  Shy- 
lock  in  disguise  ?  '  " 

Weaving,  who  thoroughly  enjoyed  the  mystery  of 
his  continued  application  to  business,  in  an  age  and 
country  where  only  paupers  and  slaves  labored,  with  a 
knowing,  confidential  kind  of  twinkle  in  his  deep 
sunken  eyes  replied  "  Well,  I  think  some  of  the  present 
Proprietors  of  the  country,  might  be  able  to  explain 
where  some  of  my  money  went  to  when  they  were  only 
heirs,  and  not  Proprietors  of  their  present  estates,  and 
how  convenient  it  was  that  I  had  saved  money."  At 
this  speech,  which  Henry  Lawton  seemed  to  under- 
stand, he  laughed  (for  him)  heartily,  the  lawyer  adding 
"As  for  being  a  Hebrew,  I  am  ineligible  for  member- 
ship in  the  Exclusion  Club  anyhow,  being  a  working- 
man,  and  I  do  not  intend  to  send  in  an  application  for 
membership,  so  the  race  whence  I  come  is  no  matter." 

Then  assuming  his  habitual  tone  of  seriousness, 
Weaving  said, — "  As  an  illustration  of  what  imperative 
affairs  will  compel  my  constant  attention  this  year,  in 
which  you,  sir,  yourself  are  deeply  interested, — There  is 
the  adjustment  of  the  interest  of  the  Lawton  Estate  in 


l8o  "UNCLE  SAM'S  "   CABINS. 

the  assets  of  the  Immutable  Mutual  Life  Insurance 
Company.  The  property  to  be  divided  is  exceedingly 
large,  the  successful'termination  of  our  efforts  to  secure 
the  surrender  of  all  outstanding  claims  and  policies, 
has  placed  such  an  immense  amount  of  valuable 
assets  in  the  possession  of  the  Association  of  Proprie- 
tors that  it  furnishes  temptation,  to  the  very  highest, 
to  be  unfair  in  the  division  of  the  spoils,  besides  I 
must  be  present  at  all  meetings  of  the  adjusters 
of  the  different  interests  of  Proprietors,  to  insist  upon 
the  justice  of  assigning  the  property  in  the  District 
of  Ohio,  obtained  by  means  of  mortgages  given  to  the 
dissolved  Company,  to  the  Lawton  estate. 

Now,  sir,  that  piece  of  imperative  duty  is  item  num- 
ber one,  and  that  small  item  means  an  addition  to  the 
Lawton  estate,  of  buildings  in  Cincinnati,  Cleveland 
and  other  cities  in  the  district,  of  the  value  of  two  mill- 
ions of  dollars.  As  there  are  one  hundred  millions  to 
be  apportioned  I  think  by  constant  attention  to  the 
interest  of  the  estate  during  the  adjustment,  that  I  can 
secure  the  Ohio  property  for  you,  sir,'  "  and  with  a 
sarcastic  grin,  added — "  Pretty  good  sum  too  for  an 
'  Entirely  Mutual '  Insurance  Company  to  earn  in  the 
past  century  and  a  half  for  the  benefit  of  the  Landlords 
of  America" — then  twirling  his  gold  rimmed  glass  by 
the  silken  cord,  around  his  finger,  he  continued, — 

"Item  number  two  which  only  adds  one  million  to 
the  estate,  is  the  final  settlement  of  the  affairs  of  the 
Justice  Insurance  Company,  which  being  only  an  ordi- 
nary stock  company  of  the  nineteenth  century  would 
require  little  attention,  were  it  not  our  wish  to  obtain 
for  the  estate,  the  office  buildings  in  New  York  city 
upon  which    the  old  company  hold  mortgages" — say- 


"UNCLE   SAM'S  "   CABINS.  l8l 

ing  partly  to  himself  meditatively — "  What  a  pity  that 
one  hundred  years  ago  when  the  old  thread  manufac- 
turer bought  those  few  shares  of  stock  out  of  the  prof- 
its of  the  thread  business  (in  which  he  made  a  million 
by  holding  the  monopoly),  he  had  not  bought  ten 
times  the  number  of  shares ;  he  ought  to  have  seen 
what  a  profit-producer,  Insurance  and  Money  Lending 
would  be  in  a  country  rich  in  credulity,  as  well  as  natu- 
ral wealth,  and  comparatively  innocent  and  ignorant  of 
the  schemes  of  the  concentrators  of  capital." 

Drawing  his  chair  close  to  the  Proprietor,  who  had 
been  listening  with  obvious  satisfaction  to  the  account 
of  the  solicitor's  items  of  duty  for  the  summer,  Weav- 
ing almost  whispered,  "  Item  three  is  the  execution  of 
some  plan,  not  yet  formed,  for  the  suppression  of  the 
reverend  brother  of  the  Proprietor.  It  is  necessary 
and  calls  for  the  promptest  action,  consistent  with 
safety  'and  regard  for  the  high  position  held  by  the 
Lawton  family.  Why  I  am  so  earnest  in  what  I  say 
of  the  latter  item,  is,  because  of  things  said  coming  to 
my  ears  which  never  reach  yours,  in  your  high  office 
as  Proprietor. 

For  instance,  one  of  the  spies  in  the  employ  of  the 
"  Combined  Proprietors'  Club,"  whom  I  ordered  to  join 
that  villainous  secret  society  which  we  have  tried  so 
hard,  and  thus  far  ineffectually  to  break  up — I  mean 
the  Order  of  Washington — reported  to  me  only  yes- 
terday that  at  a  council  of  the  leaders  of  the  order 
throughout  the  country,  held  here  in  New  York  under 
our  very  noses,  a  full  account  of  your  brother's  speech 
in  the  trial  of  Johnson's  murderer,  was  presented  by 
a  delegate  from  the  State  of  Ohio,  (as  they  call  it) 
who  had    heard  the   speech    made  in    open  court  in 


1 82  "uncle  sam's"  cabins. 

Cleveland — a  speech  that  would  have  sent  any  one  less 
highly  connected  to  a  Federal  prison  the  day  it  was 
delivered.  This  council  of  rebels  and  traitors,  upon 
hearing  Mr.  Jack's  speech  repeated,  broke  into  a  per- 
fect transport  of  enthusiasm,  cheered,  blessed  his  name, 
voted  him  a  patriot  ! — and  God  knows  what  of  such  rot 
— but,  they  did  likewise  a  very  dangerous  thing  for  us, 
as  it  shows  them  to  be  less  ignorant  than  we  thought 
them.  They  passed  a  resolution  to  seek  and  obtain  by 
every  means  within  their  power,  Jack  Lawton's  consent 
to  go  as  their  representative  to  republican  France  and 
to  the  ever-friendly  court  of  Russia.  To  plead  with 
France  again  to  give  that  help,  which  Frenchmen  gave 
in  the  first  struggle  for  American  freedom — that  help 
which  made  the  name  of  France  dear  to  every  patriotic 
American  heart — (These  are  the  very  words  of  the 
resolution  passed  on  the  subject) — to  plead  to  the 
great,  free  and  happy  French  republic  in  the  name  of 
'  Liberty,  fraternity  and  equality,'  for  aid  to  raise  a 
sunken  sister  republic  from  the  mire  of  oligarchy  where 
she  now  is  lying.  To  pray  to  the  imperial  ruler  of 
Russia,  in  the  name  of  the  friendship  once  existing  be- 
ween  the  two  nations,  to  extend  his  powerful  aid  to 
those  who  would  struggle  for  the  national  existence  of 
the  republic,  as  his  noble  ancestor  in  the  past,  when 
danger  threatened  the  nation,  had  done,  thereby  win- 
ning for  Russia  the  lasting  gratitude  of  the  once  great 
republic  of  America." 

Weaving  paused  as  he  saw  the  look  of  anger  which 
had  taken  the  place  of  the  satisfaction  evinced  by  the 
Proprietor,  when  he  heard  of  the  millions  resulting  to 
him  from  items  one  and  two,  of  Weaving' s  explanation 
of  what  causes  would  keep  him  in  dismal  America,  all 
summer. 


"UNCLE   SAM'S  "    CABINS.  1S3 

Lawton  exclaimed,  "  By  heavens!  I  will  have  a  dis- 
turber of  my  District  put  in  prison  if  he  be  ten  times 
my  brother — he  is  an  infernal  Socialist '  an  Anarchist !  " 
"  Softly,  softly  !  my  dear  sir,"  said  the  cool,  calculating 
solicitor.  "  It  does  no  good  to  call  men  names  which 
have  no  meaning  a — century  ago,  men  and  measures 
needed  only  to  be  dubbed  Socialistic,  Anarchistic,  by 
men  of  your  class,  to  frighten  the  timid  voters  of  the 
country  into  voting  in  the  way  your  class  wished  them 
to  do. — But  to-day  there  are  no  voters,  the  mass  of  the 
people  are  too  poor  to  fear  Socialism  and  Anarchism 
any' longer,  and  the  experience  of  a  hundred  years  has 
proven  that  there  never  existed  anything  in  the  old  cry, 
except  a  means  to  prevent  the  people  from  having  too 
much  freedom.  Socialism  was  an  excellent  name  to 
use  in  ridding  us  of  opposition  once,  but  the  scare-crow 
istoo  dilapidated  now  to  be  used  as  a  means  of  imprison- 
ing a  man  of  your  name ;  besides  (and  here  is  the 
gravest  trouble)  Jack  Lawton  became  acquainted  with 
too  many  men  in  high  places,  in  Europe  while  he  was 
studying  theology  in  England,  to  be  safely  arrested  on 
the  charge  of  anarchism,  for  expressing  the  opinions 
held  by  every  student  of  political  economy  in  Europe. 
It  would  occasion  an  awful  scandal — and  unless  I 
mistake  your  brother's  character,  such  a  course  would 
drive  him  to  heading  a  revolution,  if  the  attempt  at 
imprisoning  him  on  the  charge  of  anarchism  for  any 
reason  should  be  abandoned  or  fail." 

The  Proprietor  somewhat  calmed  by  Weaving's 
reasoning  said  "Well,  what  can  you  suggest  to  put  an 
end  to  the  actions  of  one  bearing  my  name,  which  are 
making  me  ridiculous  as  a  man  of  position  and  con- 
temptible as  a  Proprietor  in  the  eyes  of  other  rulers  of 


I  84  "UNCLE   SAM'S"   CABINS. 

districts?"  Weaving  replied  "  I  have  given  this  mat- 
ter much  thought ;  I  will  stay  here  all  summer  and 
strive  to  find  means  to  end  this  annoyance,  and  possi- 
bly, a  danger  to  the  estate.  Mr.  Jack  is  developing 
new  and  surprising  qualities.  This  eloquence  recently 
discovered  in  your  brother  is  unquestionably  an  un- 
pleasant piece  of  news.  I  knew  that  he  was  a  hand- 
some manly  man,  full  of  courage  and  firmly  established 
in  the  honesty  of  his  convictions,  but — eloquent  as  a 
speaker,  I  never  suspected  him  of  being.  He  must  not 
be  allowed  to  visit  Europe  in  behalf  of  that  rebellious 
society — the  Order  of  Washington — Under  any  circum- 
stances stopped  he  must  be,  if  he  accept  the  offer  of 
the  rebels — chance  may  help  us." 

As  the  words  were  spoken,  there  came  a  modest  tap 
at  the  door  of  Mr.  Weaving's  consultation-room,  in 
which,  Mr.  Lawton  and  the  solicitor  were  sitting  dur- 
ing this  conversation.  In  response  to  Weaving's  per- 
mission to  enter,  the  old  clerk  of  the  lawyer  opened 
the  door,  saying — "  Beg  pardon,  sir,  but  a  messenger 
has  arrived  in  haste  from  the  Ohio  District,  failing  to 
find  the  Proprietor  at  his  mansion,  he  came  here — 
"Well,"  interrupted  Henry  Lawton,  "Send  him  in, 
man  ;  never  mind  to  talk  so  much  about  it "  and  turn- 
ing to  Weaving,  Lawton  said  impatiently,  "  Some 
more  of  my  dear  brother's  doings,  I  suppose — ." 

The  messenger  was  ushered  into  the  room  and 
recognizing  the  Proprietor,  presented  the  packet  of 
dispatches  to  him.  Henry  Lawton  tore  off  the  cover 
of  the  package  and  hastily  glancing  over  the  letter 
from  Wilson  (that  was  the  name  of  the  man  appointed 
superintendent  of  the  District  after  the  death  of  John- 
son), told  the  courier   to  wait  in  the  outer  office  for 


"UNCLE   SAM'S"   CABINS.  185 

further  orders,  and,  when  he  left  the  room  exclaimed 
to  the  expectant  Weaving — "  Chance  came  nearly  sav- 
ing us  from  further  trouble  from  that  madman,  my 
brother  !  He  was  accidentally  shot  in  his  chest  and  leg 
in  a  fight  which  occurred  between  the  serfs  and  sol- 
diers at  the  execution  of  the  murderer  Hollister  ;  but  as 
Wilson  writes,  who  waited  until  the  surgeon  made  an 
examination  of  the  wounds  received  by  my  brother, 
before  sending  off  the  courier ;  the  bullet  that  struck 
that  young  blacksmith  of  a  brother  of  mine,  glanced 
along  his  iron-like  ribs,  making  only  a  flesh  wound  ; 
the  ball  striking  the  leg,  passed  through  the  thigh  with- 
out breaking   a  single  bone,"  and  handing  the  letter  to 

his  solicitor,    said "  But   you  had  better   read  the 

whole  letter.  A  center  shot  from  one  of  those  dogs, 
we  hire  to  fight  our  battles  for  us,  would  have  saved 
lots  of  trouble — of  course,  being  a  civilized  man,  I 
would  not  have  such  a  thing  occur  except  by  acci- 
dent." The  lawyer  who  carefully  read  the  whole  con- 
tents of  the  letter  before  speaking,  at  last  said — "  Bad, 
Mr.  Lawton  !  Very  bad  ! — by  reading  between  the 
lines  I  perceive  what  Wilson  does  not  plainly  write  for 
fear  of  offending  you.  Your  brother  rushed  between 
the  soldiers  and  the  serfs  to  prevent  further  bloodshed, 
and  by  doing  so  and  getting  shot  in  the  effort,  he  has 
become  a  hero  in  the  eyes  of  the  whole  district,  as  in 
some  mysterious  way,  news  travels  among  the  slaves 
all  over  the  country." 

The  wily  man  of  law  remained  silent  a  few  moments 
considering  something  that  had  suddenly  occurred  to 
him,  then  with  an  exclamation  of  relief,  said — "  I  have 
it,  your  Lady  first  suggested  the  possibility  and  now  I 
see  my  way;  give  me  the  authority  to  act  and  I  can 


186  "UNCLE   SAM'S  "    CABINS. 

free  the  district  from  the  disturber;  Listen,  Mr.  Law- 
ton — while  your  brother  lies  helpless  and  ill,  I  will  go 
to  him  saying  that  you  have  sent  me  to  tender  to  him, 
the  use  of  your  mansion  in  New  York  while  you  are  in 
Europe,  learning  with  regret  of  the  unfortunate  acci- 
dent to  him — You  will  go  immediately  to  Europe — I 
will  persuade  him  that  he  needs  rest  from  excitement, 
and  that  he  can  secure  better  medical  attention  in 
New  York  than  at  a  military  post  in  Ohio.  When  I 
get  him  in  my  possession,  helpless  from  his  wounds, 
surrounded  by  the  men  I  will  take  with  me  to  Ohio,  I 
can  quietly  furnish  enough  evidence  of  insanity  in  him, 
to  get  friends  of  mine  who  are  reputable  physicians,  to 
sign  a  certificate  and  recommendation  that  will  place 
him  safely  in  an  asylum,  where  he  will  remain  until  you 
wish  him  released — what  do  you  say  to  the  plan?" 
asked  Weaving — "Splendid,"  said  Lawton,  "That  will 
settle  the  whole  affair,  for  you  can  readily  explain  my 
desire  to  have  the  fact  of  my  brother's  insanity  kept 
quiet,  to  physicians,  keepers,  law  officers  and  all  who 
are  obliged  to  know  anything  about  the  matter.  It 
will  appear  so  entirely  natural  for  me  to  be  reluctant 
about  publishing  my  brother's  misfortune,  that  no  pry- 
ing investigations  will  be  made  by  his  friends,  beside 
the  transfer  to  the  asylum  can  take  place  when  I  am 
absent  from  the  country  and  no  blame  can  attach  to 
me  in  any  event  if  you  are  willing  to  personally  assume 
the  responsibility  of  the  whole  affair."  "  The  only  fear 
of  failure  in  the  scheme,"  said  the  solicitor,  "  is  that 
Mr.  Jack  may  become  suspicious  and  refuse  the  invita- 
tion. To  use  force  with  him  wounded  and  almost  help- 
less, might  be  dangerous,  as  they  say  he  is  the  very 
devil  when  aroused,  and  the  use  of    force  might  in  any 


"  UNCLE   SAM'S  "   CABINS.  187 

event  create  awkward  investigation — "  "  Ah,  clever 
as  you  are,  Weaving,"  said  the  Proprietor,  with  a  smile 
of  contempt,  at  the  recollection  of  his  brother's  nature, 
stealing  over  his  sneering  countenance,  "You  have 
not  read  my  brother's  character  aright,  if  you  fear  any 
suspicion  occurring  to  his  mind — he  is  the  frankest  fool 
himself,  in  the  world  and  therefore  the  least  suspicious, 
beside  being  himself  forgiving,  it  will  be  natural  for 
him  to  imagine  that  I  am  also  and  sincere  in  my 
invitation  to  him  to  occupy  my  house  in  New  York- 
city  ;  if  that  be  the  only  difficulty  be  perfectly  easy,  my 
clever  friend." 

Weaving  then  said  "  I  must  secure  his  admission 
into  some  insane  asylum  beyond  the  borders  of  the 
Ohio  District — I  dare  not  leave  him  in  a  place  sur- 
rounded by  a  lot  of  men  (serfs  true  enough)  who 
worship  him  as  their  hero,  but  I  think  that  can  easily 
be  arranged — Now,  Mr.  Lawton,  as  quickly  as  possible 
have  steam  gotten  up  on  your  yacht  and  put  the  At- 
lantic between  you  and  your  brother  " — Lawton  rising, 
his  face  beaming  with  exultation  and  relief,  said  as  he 
clasped  the  extended  hand  of  his  lawyer,  "  Weaving 
you  are  an  invaluable  fellow !  I  don't  know  what 
some  of  our  class  would  do  without  you  !  I  will  sail 
for  England  to-morrow  ;  I  leave  every  thing  absolutely 
to  your  discretion,  and  to-night,  thanks  to  your  ingen- 
iously devised  scheme,  shall  sleep  tranquilly."  Weav- 
ing conducted  the  Proprietor  to  the  office  door,  with 
many  expressions  of  thankfulness  for  the  good  opin- 
ion expressed  by  his  powerful  patron. 

In  Weaving' s  character  there  existed  qualities  recall- 
ing the  bee  or  silk  worm,  he  labored  to  collect  honey 
for  the  use  of  others  as  the  bee  does,   only  Weaving's 


1 88  "UNCLE   SAM'S  "   CABINS. 

labor  was  not  to  lay  up  a  store  for  the  future  use  of 
himself,  of  which,  like  the  bee,  others  robbed  him  ; — 
The  reward,  for  which  Weaving  so  continuously  ap- 
plied himself  to  his  labors  to  obtain,  was  the  unadul- 
terated delight  it  gave  him  to  be  successful  in  a  scheme, 
— The  fruits  of  an  enterprise  or  undertaking  might 
fall  into  the  lap  of  another,  it  was  the  success  with 
which  the  tree  was  shaken  and  forced  to  yield  its  fruit 
that  furnished  Weaving  his  reward — As  the  silkworm 
spins  the  thread  for  others  to  wear  the  garment  when 
woven,  so  Weaving  was  willing  to  spin  a  plot,  inter- 
ested only  in  the  accomplishment  of  the  object  to  be 
attained, — securing  his  own  reward  in  the  successful 
operation  of  his  plans,  willing  that  others  should  en- 
joy the  material  benefits  of  them. 

Weaving  had  organized  the  Proprietors  of  the  differ- 
ent districts  in  America  into  an  association  called  the 
Association  of  Proprietors.  The  intent  of  the  organiza- 
tion was  to  accomplish,  by  the  combination  of  a 
large  amount  of  capital  with  a  large  amount  of 
influence,  objects  for  the  benefit  of  those  compos- 
ing the  association,  which  would  have  been  utterly 
impossible  of  attainment  by  the  individual  efforts 
of  any  single  member  of  the  association,  no  matter 
how  influential  or  wealthy  he  might  be. — 

The  operations  of  the  association  recalled  those  re- 
markably gigantic  enterprises,  recorded  in  the  files  of  old 
newspapers,  as  successfully  undertaken  by  an  organiza- 
tion of  the  nineteenth  century,  which,  by  gaining  the 
monopoly  of  the  sale  of  coal  oil  in  the  (then)  United 
States,  accumulated  millions  of  dollars — and  became  so 
powerful  that  at  its  command  the  light  of  the  poor  man's 
lamp  throughout    America  cost    him    one    cent  per- 


"UNCLE   SAM'S"   CABINS.  189 

hour,  or  ten  cents  per  minute,  or  was  extinguished 
entirely.  By  the  vast  amount  of  money  it  com- 
manded, this  tremendous  combination  of  a  century 
and  a  quarter  ago,  actually  controlled  the  enactment 
of  laws  affecting  its  interests  and  that  too,  (strange  as 
it  may  now  seem)  when  every  man  in  the  country 
voted  for  the  law  makers.  The  continued  existence  of 
this  old  combination,  called  the  Standard  Oil  Company, 
for  many  years,  is  but  another  instance  of  the  delirium 
that  was  prevalent  in  the  minds  of  the  citizens  voting 
in  America  in  the  latter  part  of  the  past  century ;  its 
existence,  monopoly  and  operations,  are  verified  by 
hundreds  of  records.  Amazing  as  it  may  to-day  seem, 
citizens  of  the  United  States,  free  and  untrammeled 
by  serfdom,  actually  voted  to  tax  themselves  that  this 
organization  might  amass  an  immense  amount  of 
money,  and  the  individuals  composing  it  or  their  de- 
scendants, by  the  use  of  that  vast  accumulation,  en- 
slave the  citizens  voting  or  their  descendants.  It  is 
one  of  the  strangest  phenomena  in  that  the  most  phe- 
nomenal century  in  America's  history.  Weaving  had 
moulded  his  organization  upon  the  model  furnished 
by  the  Standard  Oil  Company,  now  so  long  dead, 
but  with  whose  record  he  had  made  himself  familiar 
by  reading. 

His  first  undertaking  after  the  organization  of  the 
new  association  was  to  obtain  control  of  the  immense 
amount  of  assets  of  the  Immutable  Mutual  Life  Insur- 
ance Company,  which,  for  many  years,  during  the 
prosperity  of  America,  had  deluded  the  people  into  be- 
lieving, that  all  who  insured  their  lives  with  the  Immu- 
table Company,  were  mutally  benefitted  by  the  profits 
made  in    the  insurance  and    money   lending  business 


190  "  I'M  I  1     SAM  S       CABINS. 

conducted  by  the  company — as  a  matter  of  fact,  the 
countless  millions  paid  in  shape  of  premiums  on  the 
policies  of  the  Immutable,  into  the  coffers  of  the  com- 
pany were  absolutely  controlled  by  a  few  rich  men, 
who  securing  a  sufficent  number  of  votes  in  a  compact 
form,  elected  themselves  to  office  without  regard  to 
the  vast  number  of  other  policyholders,  who,  while 
being  the  majority  of  the  whole,  having  no  organiza- 
tion, never  voted —  thus,  and  even  with  the  constant 
espionage  of  commissioners  appointed  by  the  different 
states  then  existing,  a  few  men  controlled  the  millions 
of  the  many.  Lending  where  and  to  whom  the  few 
saw  fit,  the  money  of  many.  Voting  such  salaries 
to  themselves  as  they  might  think  necessary  to  sup- 
port their  expensive  establishments,  (of  course)  it 
would  be  unreasonable  to  expect  a  poor  commissioner 
of  a  state  to  be  too  exacting,  in  dealing  with  men  con- 
trolling millions  while  his  own  compensation  was 
trifling,  and  when  his  needs  might  compel  him  to  ask 
favors  at  any  time. 

Weaving  had  ascertained  that  the  Immutable  had 
been  compelled  to  buy  in  a  large  amount  of  the  prop- 
erty in  America  under  the  mortgages  upon  which  the 
company  had  loaned  the  money  of  the  people,  to  the 
people.  With  the  decay  of  the  American  farming  in- 
terest and  the  resulting  death  of  the  American  manu- 
facturing interest,  borrowers  of  money  from  the 
Immutable  Mutual  were  unable  to  pay  interest  or 
principal — whether  the  collaterals  for  the  loan  obtained, 
were  real  estate,  farming  land  (city  property)  railroad 
bonds  or  municipal  bonds — the  hide  had  gone  with  the 
hair.  Policyholders  and  claimants  being  impovished 
by  the  general  wreck  of  the  commerce  of  the  country, 


"  UNCLE   SAM'S  "    CABINS.  191 

needed  money.  Then  it  was,  that  Weaving  with  his 
association  stepped  in,  and  by  securing,  votes  sufficient 
to  elect  a  board  of  directors  who  would  follow  instruc- 
tions, began  by  frightening  policyholders  and  claimants 
with  pessimistic  statements  of  the  company's  affairs,  to 
depreciate  the  value  of  the  policies,  upon  which,  im- 
mense premiums  had  been  paid  for  years.  It  required 
some  time  to  acquire  absolute  control  of  the  policies 
issued  by  the  Immutable  Mutual,  but  by  money  and 
influence,  it  was  finally  accomplished,  and  Weaving 
enjoyed  the  reward  of  his  efforts,  in  the  success  of  the 
scheme,  by  which  the  Proprietors  obtained  even  the 
benefit  of  the  premiums  paid  by  heartbreaking  depriva- 
tion, on  policies  of  life  insurance  held  in  a  so-called 
mutual  company. 

Of  course,  the  Justice  Insurance  Company  was  a 
simple  affair,  a  story  illustrated  in  every  snow  ball 
made,  the  larger  it  grew  the  faster  it  grew.  Having 
sucked  dry,  the  orange,  (the  people  of  America)  of  all 
the  juice  (ability  to  pay  premiums  and  interest)  the 
Justice  Company  closing  the  iron  claw  of  its  accumu- 
lated capital  upon  the  collaterals  placed  with  it  to  secure 
long  overdue  loans,  soared  away  as  a  vulture  with  the 
plunder  obtained  from  the  bleeding  flock  of  sheep.  In 
this  case,  Weaving  fought  only  to  secure  certain  ad- 
vantages for  Lawton,  in  gaining  which,  he  would  have 
the  happiness  afforded  by  beating  the  solicitors  of  other 
Proprietors. 

Mr.  Weaving  entertained  no  feeling  of  animosity 
against  Jack  Lawton,  except  such  as  arose  from  his 
conduct  being  opposed  to  the  attainment  of  the  object 
for  which  the  lawyer  had  labored  so  persistently  for 
many  years — that  was  the  complete  subjugation  of  the 


IQ2  "UNCLE   SAMS"    CABINS. 

inhabitants  of  America  to  the  domination  of  a  few 
men, — Proprietors  and  Landlords. 

Weaving  had  early  in  his  professional  career  recog- 
nized that  freedom  and  liberty  were  but  empty  names 
to  men,  where  their  very  existence  depended  upon  the 
caprice  of  a  few,  who  owning  all  the  money  or  wealth 
of  the  country,  were  enabled  to  enforce  obedience  to 
their  mandates  by  a  threat  of  that,  which,  with  Ameri- 
can men  has  ever  proved  more  efficacious  than  the  use 
of  firearms  or  physical  force, — "  Want  coming  to  their 
wives  and  children."  The  same  terror  inspired  in  the 
American's  heart  by  the  danger  of  want  threatening  his 
loved  ones,  cannot  be  created  by  all  the  cannon  of 
earth  combined  with  all  the  Jovian  thunders  of  an 
angry  Heaven. 

Blessed  be  the  name  !  American  husband  !  father  ! — 
in  all  ages,  to  all  women  and  children  !  His  peer  never 
lived  on  Earth  !  He  joyfully  labors.  By  deprivation, 
strain  and  the  sweat  of  his  brow  does  he  purchase  the 
comforts  of  life  for  those  he  loves,  and  is  still  unsatis- 
fied, but  would  pour  forth,  with  happiness,  the  best 
blood  of  his  heart — nor  call  its  giving,  a  sacrifice — to 
procure  needless  luxuries,  and  view  with  satisfaction, 
the  pleasure  given  to  his  dear  ones,  all  forgetful  of 
the  agony  that  he  himself  was  suffering ! 

Have  America's  fair  daughters  appreciated  the  price- 
less jewels  in  their  possession  ?  In  the  bosom  of  the 
plain,  uncultured,  half-educated  American  man  of 
unknown  lineage,  there  beats  a  heart  so  full  of  loyal, 
honest  love  for  woman,  so  full  of  courage  and  willing- 
ness to  fight,  labor  and  suffer  for  the  mistress  of  his 
affections,  that  in  real  knightliness  of  character,  Ama- 
dis  of  Gaul  and  Bayard  sink  into  insignificance  beside 


"UNCLE   SAMS  '    CABINS.  1 93 

him.  Beside  this  domestic  knight  and  hero  of  two 
hemispheres,  rough,  uncouth,  uncultivated  though  he 
be,  in  the  eyes  of  all  thinking,  loving,  grateful  Ameri- 
can women — clothed  as  he  is  with  the  splendor  of  his 
lore  and  loyalty,  a  scion  of  a  hundred  kings,  long  lines 
of  Vere  de  Veres  and  Montmorencies ;  refined,  edu- 
cated, cultivated,  his  breast  sparkling  with  countless 
orders, — should  seem  mean,  small,  over-shadowed  by 
the  greatness  of  the  plain  American. 

Weaving  by  studying  the  records  of  the  past  century 
had  learned  with  what  invariable  success,  the  Concen- 
trators of  Capital  and  Monopolists,  had  utilized  this 
enormous  strength  of  the  American  men's  love  for  their 
families — finding  in  this,  the  strongest,  blindest  element 
in  their  characters — the  means  of  enslaving  them,  in  all 
the  years  of  the  past  century  during  the  time  when  the 
franchise  was  universally  held  by  the  citizens  of  the 
then  United  States. 

Upon  every  occasion,  whenever  the  Ship  of  State, 
sailing  ever  nearer  and  nearer,  blown  by  bewildering 
foggy  winds  of  delusive  prosperity,  came  in  sight  of 
the  hideous  rocks  of  slavery,  and  some  brave  captain, 
calling  to  the  horrified  crew  (the  people)  cried  Danger! 
About  Ship  ! — Down  helm — Tack  ! — 

The  crew  rushing  to  save  the  good  vessel  letting  go 
all  sheet  lines,  putting  down  the  helm,  making  for  the 
moment  therefore,  the  white  sails  of  Commerce  shiver 
and  flutter,  then  it  was— while  the  ship  shivering  in 
wind  lay  helpless,  and  before  the  calm,  clear  and  steady 
wind  of  permanent  prosperity,  could  fill  the  sails  of  fair 
Commerce,  on  the  new  tack,  which  would  carry  the 
vessel  clear  of  the  shoals  of  slavery — that  the  Concen- 
trators  of    Capital  and    Monopolists,  like   a   band    of 


194  "UNCLE  SAM'S  "   CABINS. 

heartless  wreckers,  lighted  false  beacon-fires  to  beguile 
the  crew  and  captain,  calling  through  the  fog: 

"  Look  out  for  the  rock  of  Ruin  lying  in  the  track 
of  the  tack  you  are  taking  " — calling  the  crew's  atten- 
tion to  the  false  beacon  lights  created  by  the  bucca- 
neers of  the  nineteenth  century.  While  thus  the  crew 
filled  with  fear,  doubt  and  confusion,  hesitating,  left  the 
good  ship  shivering  between  the  good  and  evil  breezes, 
then  these  buccaneers  and  wreckers  pounced  upon  it 
— whirling  the  hot  shot  of  "Want,"  "Starvation," 
"Suffering  for  families,"  "Misery  for  your  women" 
through  the  bulwarks  of  the  drifting  vessel  and  into 
that,  the  weakest  spot  in  the  armor,  of  the  crew- 
Americans.  Double  shotted  the  Cannon  of  Capital 
poured  grape  upon  confused  crew  and  captain. 

"  Depleted  Treasury,"  "  Lack  of  Stability  of  Cur- 
rency," "Withdrawal  of  gold,"  "  Lack  of  confidence," 
"  Dearth  of  Trade,"  "  Financial  Disaster,"  "  Closing 
Factories,"  "  Lack  of  Employment,"  "  Reduction  of 
Wages,"  "  Idleness,"  "  Starvation." 

These  were  the  bombshells  moulded,  created  and 
exploded  upon  the  deck  of  the  hesitating  Ship  of 
State,  by  the  Concentrators  of  Capital,  Monopolists— 
the  buccaneers  of  civilization, — all  made  of  the  material, 
— money,  dollars  amassed,  accumulated,  by  years  of 
successful  plundering. 

At  this  cannonade  there  never  failed  to  follow  sur- 
render, unconditionally,  of  captain,  crew  and  ship,  all 
wounded,  hurt,  demoralized  in  the  spot  the  weakest 
in  the  American  structure — love  of  family.  Weaving 
had  learned  well  the  lesson  taught  by  the  records  of 
the  life  of  the  country  for  a  century,  clever  disciple  of 
Machiavelli  that  he  was. 


"  UNCLE   SAM  S       CABINS.  195 

Of  course,  long  before  the  advent  of  Weaving  and 
the  Association  of  Proprietors  upon  the  field  of  Ameri- 
can affairs,  anything  like  effective  opposition  to  the 
continued  concentration  of  capital  had  been  eliminated 
from  the  range  of  possibilities  in  American  politics. 

The  nation  made  drunk  by  the  poisonous  drug 
of  artificial  prosperity  during  the  epoch  succeeding  the 
great  American  civil  war,  had  so  long  allowed  the 
trade-killing,  happiness-consuming  liquor  to  take  the 
place  of  the  natural  strength-giving  food  of  unrestricted 
commerce,  that  delirium  had  long  since  seized  it. 
Like  the  poor  drunkard,  the  people  of  America 
had  many  times,  realizing  their  condition,  re- 
solved to  abandon  the  artificial  stimulant,  but  in  the 
brief  period  after  abstinence,  finding  the  poor  ener- 
vated body  of  the  nation  shaking  and  quivering  like 
the  miserable  drunkard,  who,  for  a  few  days  is  de- 
prived of  his  usual  dram — which  kills  as  it  temporarily 
creates  a  feeling  of  exhilaration — would  rush  franti- 
cally back  to  the  poisonous  prosperity-consuming  stim- 
ulant of  laws  restricting  trade ;  not  waiting  for 
abstinence  and  healthy  food  to  furnish  natural  and 
permanent  strength  to  take  the  place  of  the  fiery  spirits 
which  were  leading  the  country  to  that  asylum  of  all 
delirious  and  intoxicated  nations — Slavery  or  Anarchy. 

The  weak  and  wavering  nation  enfeebled  by  the 
tremendous  love  of  home  and  family,  and  fearing 
want  and  misery  for  dear  ones,  was  quickly  and 
easily  lured  upon  the  rocks  of  destruction  by  the  siren 
songs  of  Concentrated  Capital  and  Monopoly.  Weav- 
ing found  the  way  all  prepared  for  the  triumphant 
march  of  his  clients,  the  Proprietors  and  Landlords, 
over  the  decaying  bones  of  liberty,  to  thrones  of  power 


196  "uncle  sam's"  cabins. 

resting  upon  a  foundation  laid  in  the  enslavement  of  the 
people,  and  the  final  extinguishment  of  freedom  in  the 
land  once  the  bright  home  of  the  freest  people  on  earth. 
Jack  Lawton  presented  himself  as  an  obstacle 
in  Weaving's  pathway  to  the  complete  realization  of 
his  dreams  of  success,  power  and  position  as  Prime 
Minister  in  an  imperial  government  and  as  such  an  im- 
pediment only,  was  Jack  objectionable,  and  necessary 
to  be  crushed  and  obliterated.  Therefore,  to  accom- 
plish that  end  did  Weaving  bring  all  his  energies  and 
efforts  to  bear. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

WHEN  the  commandant  of  the  post  in  the  section 
of  the  Ohio  district,  where  the  execution  of  Hollister 
had  taken  place,  learned  from  the  message — which  the 
officer  in  charge  of  the  detachment  of  soldiers  present 
at  his  execution,  and  engaged  subsequently  in  firing 
upon  the  infuriated  serfs,  had  sent  him  by  a  mounted 
orderly  ahead  of  the  advancing  squad  carrying  the  in- 
animate body  of  Jack — that  the  brother  of  the  Proprie- 
tor had  been  accidentally  shot  in  the  endeavor  to 
prevent  a  battle  between  the  soldiers  and  the  serfs  ; 
that  the  officer  of  the  troops  engaged  had  thought  it 
best  to  have  the  wounded  man  brought  to  the  bar- 
racks, knowing  that  there  he  would  secure  the  prompt- 
est, and  in  fact,  the  only  medical  attention  procurable  in 
the  section. 

The  commandant  gave  instant  orders  to  have 
his  own  quarters  prepared  for  the  reception  of  the 
wounded  clergyman.  He  felt  not  only  regret  for 
the  unfortunate  affair,  but  also  considerable  apprehen- 
sion concerning  the  possibly  unfavorable  view  that  the 
influential  local  magnate,  the  Proprietor  of  the  District, 
might  take  of  the  wounding  of  his  brother  by  the  sol- 


198  "uncle  sam's"  cabins. 

diers  quartered  in  his  province.  Not  knowing,  as  none 
of  the  officers  at  the  military  post  there  did,  of  any 
disagreement  between  the  two  brothers,  Weaving  hav- 
ing wisely  concluded — when  comment  was  made  to  him 
at  the  time  of  the  execution  of  the  "  Bonds  of  Servi- 
tude "  by  the  tenants,  concerning  the  unconventional 
conduct  of  the  Reverend  Mr.  Lawton — to  say  nothing 
of  any  differences  existing  between  members  of  his 
patron's  family. 

The  surgeon  of  the  post  hastened  to  meet  the  com- 
ing procession,  and  giving  directions  concerning  the 
more  comfortable  carriage  of  the  suffering  man,  ordered 
him,  taken  at  once  to  the  commandant's  quarters,  hav- 
ing the  old  sergeant  detailed  to  assist  in  caring  for 
the  patient.  After  Jack  was  deposited  by  his  bearers 
upon  a  bed,  in  the  commandant's  room  and  restora- 
tives administered,  consciousness  soon  returned,  he  be- 
came aware  of  his  surroundings  and  with  what  had 
transpired.  The  surgeon  upon  an  examination  of  the 
wounds,  ascertained  at  once,  that  while  they  were 
serious  and  the  patient  weak  from  an  enormous  loss  of 
blood,  no  fatal  result  was  to  be  anticipated  from  the 
bullets  received  in  the  chest  and  leg;  the  ball  which 
had  struck  Jack  on  the  right  side  of  the  breast  bone, 
had  glanced  along  a  rib  and  made  its  exit  below  the 
shoulder-blade,  causing  much  loss  of  blood  but  nothing 
of  a  serious  nature.  The  other  bullet  had  passed 
through  the  fleshy  part  of  the  thigh,  making  a  large 
orifice  in  the  limb  but  as  neither  a  bone  was  fractured 
nor  an  important  artery  severed,  the  rapid  recovery  of 
the  use  of  the  leg,  might  reasonably  be  expected. 

Lawton,  to  whom  the  unaccustomed  stimulants  had 
brought  almost  instantaneous  reanimation,  before  ask- 


"UNCLE   SAM'S       CABIN'S.  199 

ing  concerning  his  own  condition,  made  anxious  inqui- 
ries as  to  the  welfare  of  the  poor  serfs,  who  had  so 
impetuously  and  absurdly  charged  upon  the  soldiery. 
When  being  informed,  that  after  his  own  fall,  no  further 
discharge  of  the  rifles  had  been  made  into  the  demoral- 
ized mass  of  poor  people,  the  clergyman  seemed  more 
relieved  than  even  when  the  surgeon  told  him,  that  he 
should  congratulate  himself  upon  the  narrow  escape 
he  had  made  from  death,  or  at  least,  from  permanent 
injury — telling  him  that  the  wounds  found,  were  while 
painful,  not  dangerous,  and  that  he  might  hope  to  be 
confined  to  his  bed  only  for  a  short  time. 

The  commandant  too,  came  to  render  any  assistance 
in  his  power,  having  heard  from  the  officer  in  charge 
of  the  soldiers  who  had  fired  the  shots  which  had 
struck  Jack, — how  he  had  fearlessly  rushed  between 
the  soldiers  and  serfs,  and  even  after  falling  once,  from 
a  wound  received,  had  arisen  and  still  advanced  to  the 
very  muzzles  of  the  death-dealing  rifles. 

The  commandant  said  "  It  is  a  great  pity,  Mr.  Law- 
ton  that  a  man  of  your  fearless  disposition  had  not 
adopted  my  uniform  and  entered  the  Army  instead  of 
the  Church."  To  which  complimentary  remark,  Jack 
responded  though  his  voice  had  lost  some  of  its 
strength,  still,  quite  stoutly,  "  Well,  Colonel,  of  the 
two  uniforms  I  think  my  present  one  carried  me,  in 
the  discharge  of  my  duty,  into  far  more  danger  than 
the  uniform  of  the  Federal  soldiers  did,  who  fired  upon 
a  mob  of  unarmed  wretched  men  to-day." 

"  I  grant  that  to  be  the  case  to-day,  and  in  this 
instance,  but  I  hardly  think  all  the  men  of  your  uni. 
form  would  have  felt  called  upon  to  do  what  you 
did,  or  even  if  recognizing  it  to   be  their  duty,  would 


200  "  UNCLE   SAM'S  "   CABINS. 

have  had  the  courage  to  face  the  blazing  line  of  rifles. 
You  see,  sir,,  you  are  a  Lawton,"  said  the  politic  com- 
mandant— "  and  blood  will  tell," — referring  to  Jack's 
ancestors  who  had  been  sugar  kings,  Proprietors  and 
Landlords  for  several  generations.  But  the  wounded 
man  in  whom  death  alone  could  kill  the  democracy  of 
his  nature,  replied  somewhat  slyly  with  a  smile  as  he 
thanked  the  colonel  for  the  compliment. 

"  May  be  so,— I  have  read  a  story  that  the  first 
Lawton  of  my  family,  who  was  noticeable,  by  reason 
of  his  becoming  rich  as  the  result  of  his  attention  to 
business  in  the  cheap  cook  shop  which  he  kept  in 
Philadelphia,  even  though  crippled,  wished  to  enlist 
and  fight  as  a  soldier  when  the  nation's  life  was  in 
danger,  perhaps,  I  derive  my  disregard  for  bullets  when 
called  by  duty,  from  the  old  Lawton  who  was  a  cook, 
I  certainly  never  heard  of  any  great  evidence  of  the 
courage  of  any  other  of  my  ancestors."  The  com- 
mandant laughed  at  this  sally  of  the  sick  man,  and  left 
the  room  thinking  of  Jack  as  an  utterly  incorrigible 
democrat. 

After  adjusting  the  bandages  and  making  his  patient 
as  comfortable  as  his  wounds  would  permit,  the  sur- 
geon ordered  the  old  sergeant  to  remain  and  watch  by 
the  clergyman,  bidding  Jack  keep  quiet,  prepared  to 
leave  the  room  but  was  called  back  by  the  wounded 
man  who  said: 

"  Surgeon,  either  take  that  old  chap  (referring  to 
the  sergeant)  out  of  here  or  let  him  smoke,  knowing 
he  is  deprived  of  his  pipe  will  make  me  nervous." 

The  surgeon  highly  amused  gave  the  desired  permis- 
sion, and  related  the  story  with  great  glee,  that  even- 
ing in  the  officers'  mess-room,  as  another  evidence  of 


"  UNCLE    SAM  S       CABINS.  201 

the  originality  of  his  Excellency,  the  Proprietor's 
brother. 

Another  place  where  the  story  was  told,  was  in  the 
quarters  of  the  private  soldiers,  where  the  scarred  and 
surly  old  warrior,  the  sergeant  said — 

"  I'm  blessed  if  it  didn't  beat  my  time,  to  hear  him 
talk  to  the  colonel  about  an  old  cook  being  his  grand- 
daddy,  as  if  he  was  proud  of  it —  And  lyin'  there 
(shot  maybe  by  my  very  bullet,  a  sufferin')  yet  a-think- 

in'  of  my  pipe  and  when  I  lit  her,  I'm if  he  didn't 

just  tip  me  a  queerlike  wink." 

It  would  have  been  a  difficult  matter  to  decide  where 
Jack  had  the  greater  popularity — among  the  serfs  in 
the  section  or  among  the  soldiers  at  the  barracks.  The 
latter  had  all  heard  of  Jack's  courage  and  conduct,  and 

the  stories  of  his  kindness  of  heart  and  having  "  No 

airs  about  him,  just  a  bein' a  man  every  bloomin'  inch 
of  him  " — and  in  the  language  of  the  camp,  he  was 
unanimously  voted — "  The  right  stuff  if  he  did  wear  a 
black  coat." 

When  the  officer  of  the  guard  soon  after  dark  came 
to  the  room  of  the  wounded  man  who  was  feverishly 
tossing  as  much  as  his  injuries  permitted  him  to,  upon 
the  commandant's  bed,  and  reported — that  a  young 
woman  who  absolutely  refused  to  leave  until  she  had 
been  admitted  to  where  Mr.  Lawton  was,  and  had 
insisted  upon  his  reporting  to  the  sufferer  that 
"  Mollie  "  wanted  to  be  allowed  to  come  to  him,  apolo- 
gizing at  the  same  time  for  intruding  upon  the  clergy- 
man— Jack  starting  up  gave  such  a  glad  cry  that  even 
though  followed  by  a  groan  as  the  pain  caused  by  the 
movement  forced  him  to  lie  down  again,  the  officer 
knew  that   the  visitor  was  welcome,  and  that  he  had 


202  "  UNCI. E   SAMS'     CABINS. 

made  no  mistake  in  notifying  Mr.  Lawton  of  her  com- 
ing. As  soon  as  the  twitch  of  pain  occasioned  by  his 
starting  up  had  passed,  Jack  said. 

"  Show  the  lady  up  here  immediately,  Lieutenant 
if  you  please,  it  is  one  who  is  almost  a  sister  to  me.' 
As  the  officer  disappeared  in  haste  to  conduct  Mary 
Hollister  to  him,  Jack  murmured  "God  bless  her!  I 
might  have  known,  she  would  forget  her  own  sorrow, 
so  soon  as  she  heard  of  the  need  of  her  help  by 
another." 

When  Sergeant  Manuel  (that  was  the  name  of  the 
old  soldier)  related  in  the  quarters  about  the  visit  of 
the  lady,  he  said. 

"  I  didn't  know    the    name    of  her,  but  she    looked 

as  she  came    in    the  room,  like  one  of  them  pictures 

of   God's  mother,  a-holdin'   of    God  when    he  was  er 

baby, — and  when    she    came    softly  over    to    the   bed 

and  kneels   down  and    takes  his  hand    and    begins  to 

cry  and  kiss  it, — I  just  think  them  stars  need  lookin' 

after — and  I  goes  to  the  wind'er  at  the  far  end  of  the 

room  and  looks  out. — What  the has  an  old  dog  like 

me  to  do  a-listenin'  to  the  talks  of  sich  as  her?     The 

you  would.    Well^I'd  a'busted  your  ear  for  you  !  " 

This  to    a   young  soldier   who    said     he    would    have 

listened  to  find  out,  who  she  was. 

****** 

Mr.  Weaving  arrived  at  the  barracks  within  the 
week  that  Jack  was  shot,  accompanied  by  two  trained 
nurses  from  New  York.  Men,  whom  he  said,  would 
prove  far  superior  to  Sergeant  Manuel  and  Mary  Hol- 
lister, in  attending  to  the  wants  of  the  wounded  man. 
But,  he  was  somewhat  shocked  by  the  sergeant  who 
had  heard  him  make  the  remark,  coming  close  up  to 


"  UNCLE   SAM  S  "    CABINS.  203 

him,  as  he  left  the  room  and  whispering    in  his  ear — 

"  The they  will,  you black  snake  " — and  then 

facing  about  and  standing  with  his  hand  raised  in  salute 
to  his  cap,  as  if  made  of  stone. 

Mary  Hollister  came  every  morning  and  remained 
by  the  bedside  of  the  sufferer  all  day,  then  going  to  her 
home  at  the  Parsonage  where  Rossmore's  wife  still  kept 
her  from  a  feeling  of  loneliness. 

Sergeant  Manuel  was  with  Jack  at  night.  Many 
and  long  were  the  talks  they  had  on  all  kinds  of 
subjects  during  the  long  night  watches — some  snatches 
of  conversation  floating  through  the  night  wind  might 
tell  that  Jack  had  not  entirely  forgotten  his  steward- 
ship, even  though  wounded,  for  words  like  : 

"  A  private  has  got'ter  believe  in  his  officer."  Them 
chaplain  ducks  say — go — but — if  they've  got  the  nerve 
to  lead,  it's  tough  goin'  " — "  What's  the  matter  with 
bein'  a  man  if  a  chap  is  a  chaplain  ? — no  use  to  be  an  old 
woman  " — and  then  a  somewhat  altered  but  familiar 
voice  saying  "  Jesus  was  the  bravest  soldier," — Man 
need  not  be  a  milksop,  comrade,  to  be  a  Christian — 
Christ's  soldiers  need  to  be  men  of  courage, — "You 
say  I  would  make  a  good  fighter  in  your  army,  come ! 
join  my  army  and  let  us  make  one  campaign  together." 

These  sentences  came  to  the  night  wind,  as  it 
peeped  into  the  window  and  saw  the  old  war-worn 
soldier,  around  whose  head  wreaths  of  tobacco  smoke 
were  floating,  issuing  in  great  columns  from  the  hard 
old  lips,  holding  the  short  black  pipe  his  dearest  treas- 
ure. Leaning  propped  up  with  pillows  on  a  bed, 
the  night  wind  saw  a  man  pale,  somewhat  wasted, — 
every  gesture  of  his  one  unconfined  arm,  full  of  the 
earnestness  of  his  soul  as  he  talked  to  a  comrade,  of 


204  "  UNCLE    SAM'S  "    CABINS. 

his  great  cause:  His  words  were  more  than  mere  words 
to  his  listener,  for  the  listener  had  seen  him  "  a-doin' 
not  a-talkin',  " — and  he  believed  in  him  and  his  story. 

Is  it  fair  to  tell  of  the  daytime?  What  was  said, 
when  gentle  Mary  smoothing  every  wrinkle  from  the 
pillows,  leaned  down  close  to  our  hero  as  he  lay  there, 
gazing  with  new  light  in  those  honest  eyes  of  his,  into 
that  face  which  in  his  illness  he  had  found  put  on  a  new 
c<  >lor.  Jack  had  discovered — as  she  sat  patient,  sweet  and 
good  as  he  had  known  her,  when  a  laughing  baby, — 
somehow,  a  new  light  coming  in  the  window,  made  a 
new  kind  of  halo  around  her.  Hours  and  hours  he 
had  sought  to  name  the  change  that  had  come  over 
her — what  it  was  that  made  him  regard  her  with  a  new, 
strange  and  tender  interest. 

One  day  Jack  had  been  dreaming  and  in  his  sleep, 
he  saw  his  "  almost  sister  "  at  the  altar,  and  himself  in 
his  robes  of  office  prepared  to  perform  the  marriage 
ceremony,  only  no  bridegroom  seemed  to  stand  before 
him.  Suddenly  the  dream — vanished — he  awoke  to 
find  her  standing  by  the  bedside  with  her  soothing  hand 
upon  his  forehead.  In  one  moment,  all  the  new  light, 
new  interest,  new  feeling,  flashed,  revealed  upon  him. 
He  no  longer  loved  his  "  almost  sister "  for  remem- 
brances of  the  baby  whom  he  had  nursed  and  petted. — 
It  was  the  woman  good,  true  and  gentle,  that  he  loved, 
and — 

But  what  nonsense  !  Poets  of  passion  wrote  in  the 
nineteenth  century,  wrote  all  kinds  of  unearthly  moon- 
shine about  how  men  kneeled,  wept,  cried  and  fairly 
wallowed,  when  they  told  women  that  they  loved 
them.  Great  tomes  written  by  half-crazed  creatures  in 
the  moonlight,  would  teach   us  that    our   ancestors  in 


"  UNCLE   SAM  S  '     CABINS.  205 

the  nineteenth  century  were  asmad  when  in  love  with 
our  good  grand-dames,  as  they  were  in  business  mat- 
ters. 

It  is  not  fair  to  tell  of  Jack's  wooing,  for  there 
was  not  the  least  bit  of  the  heroics  uttered.  Jack 
was  only  a  plain  every-day,  manly  man,  who  had 
suddenly  realized  that  he  loved  a  woman  whom  he  had 
petted  as  a  baby  :  that  a  love  he  had  thought  born 
only  of  old  childhood's  association,  was  in  fact  the 
love  of  the  man's  heart  for  the  woman  ;  Jack's  pro- 
posal was  not  the  least  romantic,  as  those  passed  poets 
of  passion  would  have  made  it.  As  he  clasped  the 
hand  resting  on  his  forehead  and  brought  it  to  his  lips 
and  kissed  it,  he  said  : 

"  Mollie,  will  you  have  me  for  a  husband  ? "  and  as 
the  face  above  became  red  with  blushes,  he  added : 
"Often  you  have  played  Jack's  wife  when  as  little 
chaps,  we  did  housekeeping.  Can  you  love  the  man  as 
you  did  your  little  husband  ?  "  And  the  answer  ! — 
Well,  maidens  !  Don't  learn  how  to  answer  such  a 
question  from  a  story  of  the  twentieth  century  !  Seek- 
some  realistic  writer  of  the  century  of  delirium — in  his 
wild  pages  read  what  lunatics,  women  became  when 
courted  in  the  nineteenth  century ! 

Mary  being  only  a  woman,  not  an  insane  being 
filled  with  "  sobbing,  clinging  passion  "  simply  stooping 
down  to  the  pale  face  of  her  lover,  placed  her  hands 
over  his  eyes,  and  full  on  the  lips,  she  kissed  him  say- 
ing, "  Jack,  how  I  love  you  !  " 

Maidens  !  let  the  summer  breezes — that  stopped  to 
catch  her  answer,  humming,  fleeing  away  to  carry  the 
story  (wicked  breezes)  to  the  forest  flowers — whisper 
in  the  pretty  ears  of  America's  winsome  lassies,  "  Only 


206  "UNCLE   SAM'S  "    CABINS. 

answer  with  your  lips  the  man  you  love  and  words  are 
useless." 

Weaving,  ignorant  of  the  new  tie  that  now  bound 
Jack's  heart  to  the  section,  where  he  had  been 
wounded,  had  tendered  the  invitation  in  the  name  of  the 
Proprietor,  to  the  man  whom  he  sought  to  remove  and 
obliterate,  and  had  been  met  by  such  a  prompt,  positive 
and  at  the  same  time  frank  refusal,  that  it  had  left  him 
no  possible  opportunity  to  argue  the  question  or  per- 
suade the  patient. 

In  this  emergency,  he  had  taken  the  commandant 
sufficiently  into  his  confidence  to  suggest  in  the  unset- 
tled condition  of  the  mind  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Lawton, 
the  desirability  of  quietly  removing  him  to  some  se- 
cluded spot  for  a  much-needed  rest.  Inasmuch  as  it 
seemed  likely  that  the  ill  man  would  refuse  to  go  will- 
ingly, force  might  be  required,  and  Mr.  Weaving  hoped 
he  might  be  able  to  report  to  the  Proprietor  of  the 
District,  that  the  commandant  had  greatly  assisted  him, 
in  the  execution  of  what  would  be  deemed  by  the 
absent  Proprietor,  an  act,  to  shield  his  name  from  the 
scandal  of  his  brother's  insanity. 

The  commandant,  while  anxious  to  secure  the  politi- 
cal support  of  such  a  powerful  person  as  a  Proprietor, 
was  still  a  soldier  graduated  at  West  Point,  and  beneath 
the  anxiety  to  stand  well  with  the  powers  at  Washing- 
ton, was  a  man  of  honor.  He  replied  to  the  solicitor 
that  he  would  consider  how  he  could  be  of  the  most, 
service  to  all  concerned  in  the  matter  and  inform  him 
of  his  conclusion  later. 

The  two  men  whom  Weaving  had  brought  with  him 
from  New  York  had  been  assigned  quarters  in  that 
portion  of   the    barracks,  in   which,  were   the    private 


"  UNCLE   SAM  S       CABINS.  2QJ 

soldiers'  rooms.  The  New  York  nurses  had  brought 
a  plentiful  supply  of  liquor  with  them,  which  they 
used  with  no  unstinted  hand.  The  result  was,  that  they 
became  communicative  while  half-intoxicated  the  day 
upon  which  Weaving  had  the  interview — the  New 
Yorkers  spoke  openly  of  the  intention  of  Mr.  Weaving 
to  place  the  Rev.  Mr.  Lawton  in  a  private  insane 
asylum,  of  which,  they  were  two  guards,  and  that,  if 
necessary,  they  would  remove  the  wounded  man  by 
force — this  story  was  promptly  carried  to  old  Manuel, 
who  had  just  gotten  out  of  bed  after  his  morning 
sleep — (he  had  been  up  all  the  previous  night  with  Jack). 

The  old  sergeant  listened  in  silence  to  what  was 
told  him,  and  then,  the  curb  placed  by  the  clergy- 
man's night-talk  gave  way — the  recording  angel  was 
kept  very  busy  for  a  time — he  turned  to  the  soldiers 
seated  about  the  mess-room  and  asked  : 

"  Are  you  so mean  as  to  let  them  take  him  to  a 

madhouse  while  wounded  by  your  bullets  ?  " 

A  kind  of  growl  was  the  only  reply  but  the  sergeant 
seemed  to  understand,  as  he  continued,  "  Now  get 
around  and  tell  the  men,  if  they  try  to  carry  him  away, 
we  takes  him  away  from  them  !  "  and  with  that  he 
snatched  up  his  cap  and  hurried  out  of  the  room  to  tell 
Jack  of  the  plot. 

Manuel  found  Mary  reading  to  the  half-dozing, 
wounded  man  when  he  came  in,  he  had  hardly  begun 
his  story  however,  before  Jack  was  all  aroused  and 
struggling  to  a  sitting  position,  said :  "  Well,  I  cannot 
believe  this  of  Henry  Lawton,  it  is  some  of  Weaving's 
work.  Now,  Manuel,  old  chap,  get  me  a  revolver. 
Mollie,  get  pen  and  paper  and  write  some  letters  for 
me,  I  must  sign  them  if  it  kill  me." 


2o3  '■  UNCLL    SAM'S"    CABINS. 

When  Weaving,  in  response  to  a  request  from  the 
commandant,  entered  the  room  in  which  he  found 
that  officer  pacing  the  floor,  he  was  surprised  to  be 
taken  by  the  arm  and  led  to  the  window  by  the 
colonel,  looking  out  upon  the  parade-ground,  the 
commandant  said  to  him  :  "  Do  you  see  those  soldiers 
gathered  there  ?  Well,  I  am  informed  by  the  man 
who  acts  as  my  servant  that  the  men  have  learned  of 
your  intention  to  take  that  brave  fellow  who  lies 
wounded,  out  of  the  barracks,  by  force  and  place  him 
in  an  insane  asylum — they  swear  that  you  shall  not  do 
it."  The  colonel  regarding  Weaving  with  eyes  in  which 
shone  the  old,  gallant,  honest  fire  of  the  West  Point 
cadet,  before  age  and  lack  of  promotion  has  dimmed 
its  lustre,  continued,  "  My  honor  is  at  stake  in  the 
matter,  the  wounded  man  is  under  my  protection  and 
until  he  fully  recover  from  the  effect  of  his  wounds  he 
must  not  be  disturbed  by  force.  As  much  as  I  value 
his  Excellency's  favor,  I  cannot  forget  that  I  am  a  gen- 
tleman as  well  as  a  soldier,  and  in  addition,  Mr.  Weav- 
ing, I  want  no  mutiny  in  my  command — as  surely  as 
you  attempt  any  act  of  force  with  Mr.  Jack  Lawton — 
I  and  every  one  of  my  officers  will  lose  our  lives 
endeavoring  to  enforce  our  orders,  for  those  men  with 
old  Manuel  at  their  head,  will  mutiny." 

Weaving  loath  to  admit  defeat  in  his  well-conceived 
scheme,  finding  the  lion's  skin  too  short,  sought  to 
patch  it  with  the  fox's,  so  he  proposed  that  together, 
the  commandant  and  he  should  visit  Jack,  and  seek  to 
obtain  his  consent  to  being  moved  from  the  post  and 
taken  by  the  solicitor  to  New  York.  As  they  entered 
Jack's  room,  they  found  him  propped  up  with  pillows 
looking  pale  but  stern  with  suppressed  anger. 


"  UNCLE   SAM  S       CABINS.  2CX) 

Mary  left  the  bedside  and  went  to  the  window  while 
Manuel  who,  (it  now  being  nearly  dark)  had  just 
entered  the  room,  stepped  aside,  his  hand  going  up  to 
his  cap  in  salute  as  his  commander  passed  him. 

Weaving  proceeded  to  draw  a  chair  to  the  bedside, 
when  he  was  arrested  by  Jack's  saying :  "  Weaving, 
don't  you  sit  in  the  same  room  with  me  ! "  as  the 
solicitor  paused,  Jack  continued  in  a  voice  in  which 
there  was  no  sign  of  weakness, — "  Don't  open  your 
lying  lips  until  I  have  finished  ! — Your  plot  was  to 
induce  me  to  accept  your  deceitfully  kind  invitation 
purporting  to  come  from  my  brother,  (which  for  my 
dead  father's  honor  I  believe  to  be  a  lie),  and  then 
when  you  had  me  powerless,  to  incarcerate  me  in 
a  madhouse.  Now,  hear  my  determination !  I  am 
aware  of  your  designs  upon  my  liberty,  but  I  consent 
to  go  with  you  peacefully  until  beyond  the  barracks 
and  out  of  the  district,  then  our  truce  is  ended ! 
Learn  well  my  reason  for  going !  It  would  be  ill 
return — for  the  kindness  shown  me  by  the  commanding 
officer  of  this  post,  who  stands  beside  you,  and  to  the 
soldiers  who  regretting  the  bullets  which  they  fired 
and  which  reached  my  body  though  not  intended  for 
it,  have  expressed  a  determination  to  mutiny,  rather 
than  to  allow  me  to  be  taken  hence  by  force, — to  pre- 
cipitate a  riot  which  would  result  in  the  loss  of  gallant 
lives,  hence  I  will  go  willingly  with  you,  but  remem- 
ber, on  my  honor  as  an  American,  when  once  beyond 
the  limits  of  the  district  where  live  my  poor  enslaved 
friends,  I  shall  feel  justified  in  scattering  your  schem- 
ing brains  over  the  soil  which  has  been  cursed  by  your 
plots  and  the  plots  of  others  like  you." 

This  unexpected   language   brought   Mary   from  the 


JIO  "UNCLE   SAM'S  "   CABINS. 

window,  and  Sergeant  Manuel  with  a  sidling  motion 
nearer  to  the  bedside,  the  commandant  stepped  forward, 
his  face  flushed,  but  Jack  raised  his  hand,  saying  :  "  No, 
Colonel,  please  say  nothing,  there  are  those  in  power 
who  will  visit  their  displeasure  upon  you,  if  you  utter 
the  generous  impulses  of  your  soldier  heart ! 

Now,  Weaving,  hear  further  :  My  old  professors  at 
Yale  and  other  learned  professors  at  Harvard,  who, 
rich  in  the  store  of  knowledge  gleaned  from  every 
learned  writer  upon  the  subject  of  Political  Economy, 
believe  as  I  do.  These  men  are  not  mad !  To  them, 
I  have  written  telling  them  of  my  threatened  incar- 
ceration, these  letters  I  have  given  to  a  trusty  mes- 
senger and  when  the  prison  bars  close  on  me  for 
expressing  ideas  taught  by  every  learned  man  in 
America,  then  those  letters  will  be  delivered.  Also  I 
have  written  to  men  in  high  places  in  Europe,  telling 
them  how  truth  is  considered  madness  in  America,  and 
how,  by  the  expression  of  doctrines  which  ages  have 
demonstrated  as  Truths  beyond  contradiction,  a  man 
in  once  free  America  may  be  imprisoned,  charged  with 
madness.  These  letters  will  be  delivered  and  in  every 
civilized  Court  of  Europe,  the  name  '  American  Pro- 
prietor'  will  be  uttered  with  derision,  as  synonymous 
with   Ignorance  and  Imposition." 

The  now  thoroughly  alarmed  solicitor,  fearing  more 
the  consequences  of  Jack's  letters  reaching  men  in 
Europe,  who  were  in  a  position  to  make  the  name  of 
"American  Proprietor  "  odious  in  the  society  courted 
by  the  rich  people  of  America,  than  the  acts  and  criti- 
cism of  the  most  learned  men  in  America,  the  profes- 
sors at  the  great  universities,  said,  "  Mr.  Jack,  you 
misunderstand   me;  it  is  my  fault  only,  do  nothing  to 


"UNCLE  SAMS       CABINS.  211 

injure  your  brother,  the  Proprietor.  I  would  not  for 
one  instant  think  of  resorting  to  force  to  compel  you 
to  accept  your  brother's  invitation — and  as  I  am  mis- 
understood, I  will  withdraw,  with  earnest  wishes  for 
your  recovery,"  and  as  the  smiling  knight  of  Machia- 
velli  withdrew,  bowing,  from  the  room,  he  was  followed 
by  the  words,  "  Go,  you  traitor  !  "  hurled  after  him  by 
Jack,  who  leaning  forward,  shook  his  finger  at  his 
retreating  figure. 

That  evening,  as  the  baffled  lawyer  bade  adieu  to  the 
commandant  (who  forgot  to  shake  hands  with  him) 
and  the  officers  of  the  post,  accompanied  by  his  New 
York  nurses  went  out  of  the  barracks  enclosure,  the 
men  standing  about  led  by  old  Manuel,  crowded  upon 
them,  muttering  strange  camp  curses  on  an  infernal 
traitor  and  saying — how  they  would  enjoy  a  talk  with 
the  party  beyond  the  barrack  walls — all  in  words  not 
pretty  to  overnice  ears  but — Well  !  There  is  lots  of 
talk  God  hears,  and  may  be,  pardons,  for  the  goodness 
that's  behind  it. 

When  the  harvest  had  been  gathered  and  the  dron- 
ing bees  of  late  summer  made  the  very  air  seem 
drowsy,  through  the  stillness  came  in  well  remem- 
bered accent  "  The  Lord  is  in  His  holy  Temple  "  as 
Jack  Lawton  now  almost  entirely  recovered,  began  the 
morning  service,  on  the  bright  Sunday  which  marked 
the  opening  of  the  chapel   built  by  him  in  the  section. 

Close  beside  the  speaker  sat  the  post-chaplain, 
and  before  him  all  a-glitter  with  brass  buttons  was 
the  post  commandant  and  his  officers.  Back  behind 
the  officers,  are  gathered,  sitting  side  by  side,  serfs 
and    soldiers,  until   no  seat  is  vacant  and  late  comers 


212  "UNCLE   SAMS       CABINS. 

stand  listening  as  the  speaker  moving  forward, 
resting  on  his  crutch,  raises  his  hand,  saying  "  Dearly 
beloved  Brethren."  One  old  sergeant  glares  upon  a 
late  comer  who  stumbles  as  he  comes  nearer — one 
sweet  face  all  radiant  with  blushes  watches  every 
movement  of  the  crutch  of  the  speaker,  anxious  lest  it 
slip  and  fail  him.  Then  there  followed  Jack's  sermon, 
just  a  talk  in  a  manly  human  fashion,  a  sermon  such  as 
could  be  expected  from  the  man  who  preached  it — at 
its  close,  coming  forward,  his  face  all  beaming  full  of 
joy  and  gladness  the  preacher  said  :  "  Friends,  I 
invite  you  all  to  remain  and  see  me  married  !  "  Strange 
where  all  the  flowers  came  from  !  every  serf  and  every 
soldier  had  somewhere  hidden,  great  bunches  of 
blossoms.     Soon  the  chapel  was  one  huge  nosegay. 

As  the  commandant  leading  forward,  gentle  lovely 
Mary,  who  came  to  place  her  hand  in  Jack's,  who,  stand- 
ing near  the  chancel  had  limped  down  a  step  to  meet 
them,  and  the  post-chaplain  with  his  book  of  prayer 
before  him,  stood  smiling  and  waiting  to  unite  the 
handsome  couple,  serfs  and  soldiers  mingling  together, 
crowded  forward,  all  anxious  to  witness  Jack's  happi- 
ness.— And  the  chaplain  !  How  he  rolled  his  R's  and 
astonished  his  messmates  by  his  reading  of  the  mar- 
riage service. — And  the  officers  who  came  forward  to 
congratulate  Jack  and  Mary.  Then  the  aisle  all 
stewn  with  flowers,  cast  by  loving  hands  of  serfs  and 
soldiers  before  them  as  they  left  the  chapel ; — and 
Jack's  cheery  words,  as  old  Manuel  saluted  "  Well 
comrade,"  and  to  Rossmore's  kind  wishes,  "  Thank 
you,  brother  !  " 

Such  was  Jack  and  Mary's  wedding,  very  humble 
but,  may  God  send  many  such  to  America  !     From  the 


"  UNCLE   SAMV    CABINS.  213 

hearts  of  serfs  and  soldiers  standing  yet  about  the  door 
of  the  chapel,  watching  the  figures  of  the  newly  wedded 
couple  as  they  slowly  moved  across  the  lawn  before 
the  "  Parsonage,"  there  arose  a  heartfelt  "  God  bless 
them ! " 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

TRUTH  covered,  crushed  and  hidden,  germinates  in 
seclusion  from  the  light  and  air  of  heaven,  sending 
forth  permeating  tendrils  which  pierce  the  heap  of 
rubbish  lying  above  it,  shams,  frauds  and  sophistry 
defying,  comes  to  light,  and  rises  above  the  heap  of 
nonsense ;  (all  this  is  borrowed  from  the  Sage  of  Chel- 
sea. How  the  newspaper  critics  of  the  latter  part  of 
the  nineteenth  century  would  have  slammed  and  mauled 
the    crusty    Scotchman — for   his  unfamiliar   rhetoric !) 

Jack's  history,  words  and  actions  had  in  some  mysteri- 
ous manner  (perhaps  the  Federal  officers  told  it) 
reached  every  institution  of  learning  in  America  and 
been  wafted  in  some  psychic  fashion  across  the  Atlan- 
tic, until  every  philosopher  in  Europe  knew  of  him 
and  his  mad  (?)  doctrines.  Queer,  but  many  learned 
professors  at  Yale,  Princeton,  Harvard  and  other  great 
American  colleges  agreed  with  him.  In  Europe  polit- 
ical economists  were  amazed  that  any  American  would 
(not  could)  understand  the  unquestioned  truths  of  a 
science  demonstrated  by  centuries  of  commerce.  To 
the  "  Parsonage"  in  the  back,  dismal  dark  and  dreary 
section   of  America,  came  great  hampers    and    boxes 


"UNCLE   SAMS       CABINS.  21 5 

filled  with  books,  works  written  by  men  learned  in 
medicine,  law,  agriculture — packages  of  drugs  and  use- 
ful articles  for  the  clergyman,  who  striving  to  fill  all 
positions  that  might  be  useful,  found  himself  lacking. 
These  parcels  came  from  Berlin,  Paris,  Vienna  and 
London  as  well  as  from  New  Haven,  Boston  and 
Trenton. 

One  evening,  in  the  autumn  of  the  year  of  Jack's 
wedding,  when  sitting  in  his  library  at  the  "  Parson- 
age," surrounded  by  the  contents  of  recently  unpacked 
cases  of  goods,  received  from  insane  (?)  sympathizers, 
discussing  with  his  dear  "  Mollie," — wife,  but  ever  to 
him — "  the  baby,"  all  the  uses  to  which  the  welcome 
gifts  could  be  dedicated,  happy,  smiling  and  compatible, 
(how  it  must  have  shocked  the  senses  of  the  ghosts  of 
the  dead  divorce  lawyers  who  laid  their  cankerous 
claws  upon  the  domestic  life  of  the  nation  in  the 
nineteenth  century  to  see  it)  contented  ;  each  radiant 
with  the  reflected  love  of  the  other,  (love  makes  its 
own  image  in  the  reproducing  reflection  of  its  own 
glances).  There  came  a  knocking  at  the  ever-unlocked 
door  of  the  "  Parsonage  "  and  Mary  ushering  in  the 
visitors,  disclosed  in  the  lamplight,  three  strange  faces 
— faces,  which  with  a  backward  flash  of  thought  recall 
the  figure  of  the  gaunt,  determined,  forward  form  seen 
in  old  indistinctly  remembered  pictures  of  the  "Spirit 
of  1776" — to  Jack  who  came  forward,  with  an  ever 
open  hand  of  welcome  for  all  comers.  For  several 
minutes  the  visitors  regard  with  unusual  scrutiny,  the 
man  who  stood  before  them,  and  Jack  with  ill-con- 
cealed impatience,  flushing,  silently  awaits  the  ending 
of  the  examination,  at  last  the  oldest  man  of  the  new- 
comers, steps  before  his  companions  and  says  : 


2l6  "UNCLE   SAM'S"   CABINS. 

"  Sir,  expiring  America  has  sent  us,  in  the  name  of 
him,  who  loved  of  old  by  every  patriot,  is  still  remem- 
bered, we  seek  your  aid  as  sons  of  Washington — our 
country  long  torn  by  the  discussions  of  political  parties, 
lies  bleeding,  almost  expiring,  will  you  help  us  save  it  ? 
For,  sir,  our  good  mother  country  cries  in  her  agony 
for  her  children  to  come  to  her  succor. 

Years  of  contention  has  she  witnessed  between  the 
sections  of  the  Union,  all  governed  by  the  selfish 
greed  of  political  parties,  who,  for  selfish  aims,  call  up 
old  animosities  and  appeal  to  local  prejudices.  Now 
she  lies  bleeding  !  In  the  past  century  no  man  would 
save  her!  hushed  would  be  the  voice  of  the  most  in- 
dependent in  the  Senate  of  the  nation.  What,  with 
fear  of  loss  of  prestige,  patronage  and  local  popularity, 
could  be  expected,  but  subservience  to  selfish,  unpat- 
riotic measures  ! 

Will  you  help  your  country  who  now  seeks  the  aid 
of  foreign  nations  in  the  struggle  for  existence  as  a 
Republic?  " 

Jack  Lawton,  awed  by  the  language  of  Liberty  which 
nature  had  given  to  the  leader  of  the  party,  calling  as 
of  old  in  the  words  of  Ethan  Allen  at  Ticonderoga 
"  In  the  Name  of  Jehovah  and  the  Continental  Con- 
gress," was  silent  for  several  minutes  after  his 
visitor's  speech  was  finished,  then  he  said,  and  stand- 
ing in  the  lamplight,  firm  and  true  and  honest,  he 
carried  conviction  with  the  words  he  uttered — 

"  I  am  unwilling  to  seek  in  Europe  aid  for  America, 
for  the  history  of  my  country  tells  me  in  all  the 
years  when  brave  patriots  in  America  battled  to  bring 
light  to  the  nation,  the  deceitful  deluding  tongues 
of   the    enemies    of   freedom,    the   monopolists,  ever 


"UNCLE   SAM'S  "   CABINS.  2\J 

raised  a  howl  of  '  advantage  to  the  English  manufac- 
turer,' which  resounding  in  ears  familiar  with  the 
echoes  of  the  thunder  of  Bunker  Hill,  they  grew  appre- 
hensive, alarmed  and  fleeing,  gave  aid  to  the  enemies  of 
freedom.  No,  here  at  home,  seek  aid  and  wisdom,  I 
will  not  go  abroad  to  find  it.  Fully  am  I  with  you  in 
every  measure  and  God  helping  me,  will  help  you  but 
at  home,  we  must  fight  our  battles,  winning  the  minds 
and  hearts  of  Americans,  my  countrymen.  And  in 
secret  I  will  have  naught  to  do  with  your  order — 
Skulking  Crime,  Anarchy  and  assassination  lurk  in 
secret  conclaves.  Out,  before  the  world,  talk  of  your 
ideas  of  government  ;  when  men  descend  to  secret 
paths  in  their  journey  to  better  government  or  freeer 
exercise  of  the  right  of  education  or  religion,  then  do 
men  put  a  premium  on  secret  crimes  and  acts  of 
violence.  Secret  paths  make  secret  foes.  No,  I  will 
not  be  with  you  nor  aid,  even  for  my  dear  land's  sake,  a 
secret  society.  Frankly,  plainly  give  your  ideas  to  the 
world  winds  and  I  am  with  you." 

Late  in  the  night  they  talked  together,  Mary  sitting 
close  beside  her  husband,  listening  to  his  every  utter- 
ance with  wrapt  attention,  as  if  each  word  was  inspired 
and  of  divine  origin  ;  and  when  the  visitors,  the  com- 
mittee of  "  the  Order  of  Washington  "  departed,  they 
convinced,  took  with  them,  Jack's  words  of  wisdom  and 
courage — "  Keep  alive  the  torch  of  Freedom  in 
America,  but  do  so  in  the  light  and  sunshine  where 
every  man  may  see  you.  Have  faith  and  patience  for 
God  will  raise  up  a  mighty  salvation  for  you  !  " 
****** 

Years  go  drifting  along     Time's    highway,  leaving 
traces  of  their  passage   in  the  snow  that  they  have 


2l8  "UNCLE   SAMS   '    CABINS. 

sprinkled  on  Jack's  glossy  curly  head  and  from  Mary's 
blonde  tresses,  peep  the  marks  of  Time's  wintry  kisses, 
until  ten  times  the  sweet  summer  coming,  has  recorded 
on  life's  dial,  the  years  that  Jack  and  Mary  have  been 
married.  All  this  time  Jack  standing  as  a  giant  guide- 
post,  has  been  pointing  out  the  pathway  to  the  Eternal 
haven — standing  ever  firm,  unshaking  on  Time's  high- 
way in  the  coldest  blasts  of  the  winter  winds  of  desola- 
tion, amid  the  tempest  of  despair  and  destitution — there 
ever  faithfully  undaunted,  stood  the  brave  guidepost 
pointing  to  the  way  straight  and  narrow  which  leads  to 
a  realm  that  knows  no  winter. 

God  saw  fit  to  send  no  children  to  bless  the  union 
of  Jack  and  Mary  ,  perhaps  in  His  divine  wisdom  see- 
ing that  all  children  in  the  section  would  need  their 
care,  He  gave  them  none  of  their  own,  that  all  others 
might  be  theirs.  Every  little  ragged  urchin,  every  wee 
barefooted  maiden  in  the  section,  idolized  "  Miss 
Mary  "  (that  is  what  all  the  children  called  her) — and 
in  the  log  cabin  where  she  taught  all  the  mysteries  of 
crooked  letters,  twisted  S's  and  bow-legged  B's,  no 
switches  were  needed — every  little,  restless,  impatient 
scholar  listening  to  the  songs  of  birds  coming  through 
the  windows  in  summer,  or  seeing  heaps  of  slidemaking 
snow  in  winter,  immediately  became  still  and  studious 
at  one  of  "  Miss  Mary's  "  gentle  glances. 

The  introduction  of  a  school  in  the  section  created 
comment,  throughout  the  district,  some  few  old  men 
remembered  when  schoolhouses  were  common,  but  that 
time  was  long  before  the  advents  of  "  Districts  "  and 
"  Proprietors."  And  when  at  Christmas,  the  serfs 
would  gather  in  the  log  cabin,  "  Miss  Mary's  School- 
house"  to  hear  tales,  from  advanced  pupils,  of  Washing- 


"UNCLE   SAM'S  "   CABINS.  21Q 

ton  the  Patriot,  Jefferson  and  Lincoln,  men  loved  by  the 
common  people  ;  Grant  and  Lee,  brave  American  sol- 
diers; Blaine,  most  magnificent  man  of  the  past  century; 
Cleveland,  who  had  the  confidence  of  the  people  ;  they 
would  sit  and  listen  in  breathless  silence  at  the  stories 
of  the  past  glories  of  the  Great  Republic,  (God  ever 
bless  it)  and  go  to  their  humble  hovels  feeling  better, 
in  the  reflected  light  of  the  grandeur  of  the  greatest 
Nation  on  Time's  eternal  highway. 

In  every  scene  of  sickness  and  sorrow  would  the 
figure  of  "  Miss  Mary  "  stand  resplendent,  shedding 
light  of  hope  around  it,  making  blessed  a  name  held 
holy  in  all  regions  where  the  tale  of  the  Bethlehem 
manger,  makes  the  name  of  Mary,  sacred.  Ten  years 
had  passed  over  the  heads  of  Jack  and  "  his  baby  " — 
in  all  those  days  of  suffering — where  ever  sank  a 
woman  there  was  Mary's  ready  hand  to  help  her.  All 
through  the  section  the  fame  of  Mary's  nursing  and 
her  kind  and  gentle  attention  to  the  little  ones  who 
suffered,  made  her  name  talismanic  to  conjure  away 
the  spirit  of  sickness — and  Jack; — pastor,  physician, 
friend,  farmer,  filling  every  station — welcomed  in  mud 
cabins,  the  brother  of  the  serf's  bosom  ;  in  the  tent,  the 
comrade  of  the  surliest  soldier — carrying  with  him, 
cheerfulness,  hope  and  courage,  ever  followed  by  the 
grim  figure  of  an  old  wornout  sergeant,  who  long 
since,  refusing  re-enlistment  in  the  Federal  army,  had 
chosen  Jack  as  his  commander  and  enlisted  in  quite  a 
different  army — for  life,  the  term  is — that's  old 
Manuel's  last  enlistment,  five  years  have  passed  but  he 
is  still  on  duty. 

All  that  summer,  alarm   bells  had   been   ringing    in 
America  ;  an  insidious   invasion  was  pending,  against 


220  "  UN'CLE    SAM'S  "    CABIN'S. 

which  all  precautions  seemed  futile.  Forth  from  that 
pestilential  hotbed  of  horror,  India,  there  stalked  a  spec- 
tre. Before  its  blighting  breath  the  land  of  shamrock, 
rose  and  thistle  withered  :  it  had  left  its  footprints  in 
ghastly  corpses  across  continental  Europe,  and  it  came, 
elastic-treading  on  the  billows  across  the  Atlantic — con- 
quering, invading  America  with  its  horrifying  presence. 
Proudest  Landlords  and  Proprietors  stood  trembling  in 
terror  in  the  midst  of  the  universal  horror  created  by 
its  coming.     The  plague  ! 

First,  New  York  is  stricken,  in  spite  of  all  quarantine 
and  regulation  of  the  Federal  government  ;  then,  its 
onward  march  unstaying,  it  moves  ever  westward,  as 
if  following  the  ever-endless  marches  of  the  sun's 
movements  ;  and  America  giving  to  the  flames  of 
disease  the  fuel  made  by  want,  destitution  and  insuffi- 
cient nourishment,  furnishes  new  material  for  it  to 
feast  on. 

When  the  plague  made  its  appearance  in  that  section 
of  Ohio  where  Jack  was  pastor,  friend  and  doctor,  he 
called  all  his  friends  about  him,  made  a  speech  in  the 
chapel  to  them  and  organized  three  watches,  who 
should  visit  all  sufferers  in  the  section. 

One  with  "  my  dear  wife  for  captain,"  "  Sergeant 
Manuel,  my  comrade,  will  lead  another,"  and  "  My 
friend  and  brother  Rossmore  will,  for  my  sake,  head 
the  other."  Each  watch  was  given  eight  hours  of  the 
twenty-four  on  duty.  Jack  !  Well,  he  always  was  on 
duty — at  all  hours,  night  or  day,  it  made  no  matter — 
the  pastor,  "  Mr.  Jack  "  was  always  ready.  When  he 
slept  was  a  mystery  to  suffering  serfs  and  soldiers. 

Often  in  the  stilly  darkness  of  that  dreadful  winter, 
when  the  bitter  winds  of   midnight  swept  over  bleak 


"  UNCLE   SAM  S       CABINS.  221 

fields  and  highways,  through  cold  and  inky  darkness 
would  come  tramping  a  majestic  figure,  knocking  at 
the  door  of  some  hovel,  singing  out  to  the  fever-dis- 
tracted occupant,  "  What  word,  my  brother?"  That 
was  Jack!  Christ's  soldier.  And  then  bringing  needed 
medicine  to  the  sufferer,  he  would  sit  and  watch  beside 
the  bed,  talking  in  a  human  fashion.  Yes,  that  was 
Jack.  Not  talking  differences  of  creeds  and  cere- 
monies to  poor  dying  wretches,  but  "  a-makin'  of  por- 
ridge, makin'  the  fire  to  burn  more  brightly,  jist 
a-cheerin'  and  comfortin'  poor  creatures,  jist  a-doin', 
not  talkin'.  "  Surely,  old  sergeant,  surly  Manuel,  that's 
"  Mr.  Jack  "  you  are  describing. 

Don't  tell  the  secret,  but  the  spying  stars  have  told 
a  story  of  a  bearer  of  a  plague-polluted  body,  who,  at 
midnight,  depositing  the  fear-creating  carcass  on  the 
shroud-like  snow  of  the  graveyard,  dug  through  the 
frozen  ground,  making  a  grave  for  it,  and  when  the 
grave  was  finished,  all  alone  with  God,  night  and 
silence,  solemnly  reading  the  burial  service.  Don't 
tell  it  ;  but — well,  Jack  was  in  that  section  of  Ohio, 
and  the  martial  figure,  as  the  stars  saw  it,  patting 
down  the  enshrouding    snow  above  the  grave  of   the 

pauper  serf,  seemed  familiar. 

****** 

Henry  Lawton,  the  Proprietor  of  the  district  of  Ohio, 
had  hailed  with  triumphant  joy  the  arrival  of  an  heir 
who  would  save  the  estate  from  the  horrible  possibility 
of  his  brother  Jack  being  Proprietor.  Poor  mother  ! 
my  lady,  plant  of  hot-house  culture,  she  had  only  lived 
to  press  her  pallid  lips  upon  the  brow  of  the  weakly 
mite  of  humanity  she  left  behind  her.  False  educa- 
tion, too  much  culture,  had  robbed  my  lady  of  all  vi- 


222  "  UNCLE   SAM  S       CABINS. 

tality,  and  left  the  poor  inane  body  all  unfitted  for  the 
duties  of  maternity.  This  was  a  heritage  of  the  grand 
dames  of  the  past  century.  Poor  America  !  foreign 
women  must  give  birth  to  your  citizens ! 

Around  the  weakly  heir  of  the  vast  property  amassed 
in  the  course  of  more  than  a  century  of  unfair  legisla- 
tion, Henry  Lawton  placed  every  barrier  that  wealth 
could  furnish,  to  save  the  weakly  offspring  of  the  old 
Philadelphia  restaurant  keeper's  blood  from  that  disre- 
spectfully, uncompromising  enemy  of  the  children  of 
men  in  spite  of  all  the  gold  that  ever  glittered — 
Death.  Old  Jackson  was  summoned  from  the  Law- 
ton  mansion  in  Ohio — bringing  with  him  to  New  York 
Jack's  old  nurses,  superannuated  retainers  of  the  Pro- 
prietor's family.  Under  their  watchfulness  and  con- 
stant attention,  the  little  Proprietor  grew  apace  and 
flourished  in  a  sickly,  horticultural  kind  of  fashion. 
Still,  though  weak  and  feeble  (recalling  little  Paul 
Dombey)  he  gave  evidence  in  his  actions  and  temper 
of  a  kinship  with  the  preacher  down  in  Ohio,  and 
proclaimed  the  heritage  left  by  the  "  Sugar  King's  " 
daughter,  his  grandmother. 

He  was  born  in  the  year  succeeding  Jack's  wedding, 
while  his  father  made  merry  over  Jack's  mating  with  a 
mud-sill,  a  clod-hopper.  These  were  the  names  the 
proud  Proprietor  called  Jack's  "  Mollie  "  gentle  Mary. 
When  young  Henry  (he  had  been  named  for  his  father) 
was  only  six  years  of  age,  he  one  morning  made  his 
way  into  the  library,  where  he  found  his  father  and 
said  ;  "  Father,  why  don't  Uncle  Jack  come  to  see 
me  ?  You  have  lots  of  gentlemen  come  here  to  visit. 
Why  not  Uncle  Jack?"  and  when  the  surprised 
Proprietor  said  ; 


"uncle  sam's"  cabins.  223 

"  Oh,  nonsense  !  You  have  no  Uncle  Jack.  Who 
has  told  you  such  foolish  stories  ?  Run  away  and  play 
with  Lucille," — the  sturdy  spirit  of  the  youngster,  all 
despite  physical  weakness,  stood  firmly,  and  nothing 
daunted  by  his  father's  answer  to  his  question,  he 
replied : 

"  But,  father,  old  Jackson  and  my  nurse  have  told 
me  of  a  boy  that  they  cared  for  years  ago,  a  fine,  manly 
fellow,  who  could  ride  all  kinds  of  horses  ;  who  could 
fight,  but  still  was  gentle  ;  who  was  strong  and  rosy 
when  a  little  chap  like  me,  sir." 

Then  the  little  fellow  coming  closer,  and  laying  his 
thin,  white  hand  upon  his  father's  shoulder,  said : 
"And  they  say,  sir,  he's  alive,  the  bravest  and  best  of 
gentlemen,  and  their  eyes  get  wet  when  they  say  '  our 
boy,'  just  as  when  they  tell  me  how  Jesus  suffered.  I 
want  to  see  him,  bring  him  here.  Old  Jackson  says, 
and  cries  when  he  says  it,  '  Mr.  Jack  is  giving  his  life 
for  other  people.'  He's  brave  and  good.  I  want  to 
see  him." 

When,  onward  in  its  march  of  terror,  the  Plague  had 
driven  the  Proprietor  and  his  motherless  son  from 
Europe,  then  as  it  stepped  with  gaunt  strides  across 
the  Atlantic  and  forced  the  great  Proprietor  to  flee 
from  the  seaboard,  until  at  last  overtaken  by  the 
dreaded  fever,  little  Henry  lay  gasping,  burning,  dying 
in  Cleveland,  calling  out  in  the  delirium  of  the  fever  to 
his  almost  broken-hearted  father,  who  with  fearful 
glances  watched  him,  and  to  Jackson,  Jack's  old  friend 
the  butler. 

"  Send  for  Uncle  Jack  !  He  can  whip  the  fever .' 
He  will  save  me  !  Oh  !  my  head  !  Good  God,  I  am 
such    a    small    chap,  pit)'   me  !     Uncle  Jack,   you   are 


224  "UNCLE   SAM'S       CABINS. 

not  afraid,  come  here  and  fight  the  fever," — old 
Jackson,  infirm  and  aged  but  with  that  heart  of  gold 
found  in  old  servants,  restless  hears  the  ravings  of  the 
little  fellow,  until  no  longer  can  the  old  heart  stand  it. 
Going  over  to  his  master,  he  says  half  stifled  with  emo- 
tion : 

"Sir,  I  can't  stand  it,  that  baby  will  get  comfort 
by  seeing  his  uncle ;  it's  all  the  fault  of  my  stories 
and  old  as  I  am,  I'm  going  for  him,"  and  Henry  Law- 
ton  taking  in  his  lordly  hand,  the  hand  of  his  servant, 
said  "  I  thank  you  !  Say  to  Jack  to  forgive  me,  that  my 
boy  lies  dying,  that  I  ask  him  as  my  mother's  son  to 
forget  and  come  to  me,  the  lad  has  heard  of  him  and 
his  great  courage  and  believes  that  he  could  save  him. 
Will  he  come,  Jackson  ?  " 

"My  God!  Mr.  Henry,  why  ask  me?  Mr.  Jack! 
Our  boy !  I  shall  only  tell  him  that  a  little  chap 
here  wishes  to  see  him,  may  be  dying,  cries  for  him 
to  come  to  him.  Oh  !  Mr.  Henry  !  My  old  master's 
son  !  You  don't  know  your  brother,  into  the  gates  of 
hell  would  go  Mr.  Jack  to  help  the  weak.  Oh !  Mr. 
Henry,  Mr.  Henry,  God  forgive  you  !  " 

Down  in  that  lonely  "  Parsonage  "  when  Jack  came 
home  from,  oh!  such  dreadful  duties,  he  found  Mary 
worn  out  from  watching,  asleep  in  his  armchair,  wait- 
ing for  that  one  meeting  with  her  lover  (laugh,  fools, 
and  slaves  of  passion,  but  men  are  always  lovers 
when  rightly  mated)  that  they  had  agreed  on, 
should  take  place  each  day,  during  this  awful  visita- 
tion, when  both  were  so  busy  with  their  respective 
labors.  As  Jack  gazed  upon  the  sleeping  figure  and 
noted  the  dark  shade  surrounding  the  tired  eyes  now 
closed  in  slumber,  there  came  a  rapping  at  the  door  of 


"  UNCLE   SAM  S       CABINS.  225 

the  "  Parsonage  "  which  aroused  the  sleeper.  Springing 
up  and  snatching  one  kiss  from  the  pale  but  smiling  lips 
of  her  husband,  Mary  hurried  to  admit  the  newcomer. 
All,  the  humblest,  were  ever  welcome  at  the"  Parson- 
age." Into  the  firelight  came  old  Jackson,  aged,  white 
and  bending  with  the  load  of  years  resting  on  his 
faithful  head. 

And  when  great-hearted  Jack  coming  forward,  threw 
his  stalwart  arms  around  him  and  clasped  him  to  his 
grateful  bosom  where  beat  a  heart  filled  with  grati- 
tude for  long  past  acts  of  kindness  done  by  the  old 
butler,  for  the  little  lonely  boy  in  the  grand  old  Law- 
ton  mansion, — Old  Jackson  touched  by  such  kindly 
welcome  (old  men  appreciate  attention  from  the  young 
and  vigorous)  bowed  his  white  head  on  Jack's  broad 
bosom  saying, 

"  Mr.  Jack  come  with  me,  save  a  little  fellow,  who 
recalls  pictures  from  the  past,  to  my  old  heart  in 
every  word  and  action,  of  another  little  fellow  whom 
I  watched  and  tended  in  by-gone  years  in  yonder 
mansion." 

Then  the  old  butler  told  Jack  of  his  brother's 
message,  and  of  the  little  heir  who  lay  dying. 
Remembrance  bringing  back  Jack's  own  neglected, 
lonely  childhood,  caused  a  heaving  of  the  broad 
breast  of  the  clergyman,  and  there  glistened  in  his 
brave  eyes  a  suspicious  moisture,  as  Mary  coming 
closer,  said  ;  "  Go,  Jack  my  husband,  to  the  poor  baby, 
who  learning  from  your  old  nurses,  of  your  courage, 
believes  that  you  can  fight  and  conquer  his  fever." 

Close  to  his  heart  pressing  his  sweet  counsellor,  Jack 
said:  "Wait  a  minute,  I  must  think  not  only  of  my 
natural   inclination  to  help  my  little   kinsman,  but  of 


225  "  UNCLE   SAM'S  "    CABINS. 

my  duty  as  Christ's  soldier  on  the  field  of  battle. 
Years  ago,  more  than  a  century,  when  a  fatal,  fearful 
fever  came  destroying  all  before  it,  to  one  of  America's 
fair  cities,  making  of  Memphis,  a  graveyard,  priests  of 
that  old  Roman  Church,  all  ties  of  kinship  forgetting  ; 
every  danger  incurring  ;  in  God  alone  trusting ;  has- 
tened to  the  stricken  city  and  by  their  devotion  to 
their  duty  as  God's  soldiers,  won  eternal  glory  for 
themselves  and  Master,  and  the  church  in  which  they 
worshipped,"  and  pausing  in  his  meditating,  pacing 
back  and  forth  before  the  fire,  Jack  continued  :  "  It's 
in  times  of  trial,  like  these,  that  men  judge  Christ's 
cause,  His  church  and  clergy,  and  the  sincerity  of  the 
creed  they  follow. 

No  !  Jackson,  I'm  the  only  doctor  in  the  section. 
Much  as  my  heart  goes  out  to  my  little  nephew,  go 
back  to  Cleveland,  with  my  deputy,  my  wife,  my 
Mary,  who  will  whisper  to  the  baby  sufferer  that 
his  uncle  is  on  duty,  keeping,  God  helping  him, 
watch  and  ward  for  his  dear  Commander,  who  left 
orders  that  his  soldiers  should  watch  and  attend  the 
poor  and  lowly  ;  that  the  best  love  of  his  heart  he  sends 
him  with  his  gentle  deputy.  These  poor  serfs  and 
dying  soldiers  at  the  barracks  need  me  more,  my  old 
friend  and  comrade,  than  the  heir  of  the  family  of 
Lawton,  to  whom,  poor  baby,  all  my  heart  goes  out  in 
his  agony." 

Thus  it  was  that  Mary,  "  mud-sill,"  "  clod-hopper," 
held  upon  her  heart  the  dying  heir  of  the  Lawtons, 
who  murmured,  dying  :  "  Aunt  Mary,  tell  my  uncle  that 
when  I  get  to  God  I'll  tell  Him  all  about  the  brave  and 
loyal  trooper  I  have  left  behind  me,  who  'midst  danger 
and  death  is  fighting  in  the  Army  of  Christ,  his  Com- 


"UNCLE   SAM'S  "    CABINS.  227 

mander;"  and  when  at  last  the  grim  visitor  touched 
with  his  deadly  breath  the  cheek  of  the  proud  Proprie- 
tor, Henry  Lawton,  it  was  Mary's  soothing  hands  that 
clasped  the  burning  palms  of  the  lordly  landlord. 
When  she  delivered  Jack's  fraternal  message,  full  of 
frankness  and  forgiveness  and  heartfelt  sorrow  for  him 
in  his  trouble,  Henry  Lawton's  eyes,  dimming  with  the 
involuntary  moisture  that  came  unbidden,  forced  by  the 
noble  soul  and  sincerity  of  his  brother,  who  in  his  life 
and  actions  wrote  the  story  of  his  faith  and  courage, 
said  :  "  It  is  like  him." 

And  when  at  last  Death,  coming  with  impera- 
tive gesture,  tapped  the  powerful  Proprietor  upon  the 
bosom,  calling,  "  Come,  I  want  you."  In  faint  words  he 
whispered  :  "  Tell  my  brother  I  leave  him,  unregret- 
ting,  the  property — in  his  hands  it  will  wrong  no  man — 
that  in  life  his  doctrines  may  seem  strange,  erratic, 
but  in  death,  one  seeing  clearer,  envies  him  the  glori- 
ous possession  of  such  a  record." 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

The  great  Plague  of  the  twenty-first  century,  in  sol- 
emn, deathly  majesty,  swept  across  the  American  Con- 
tinent, sweeping  with  the  folds  of  its  pestilential  gar- 
ments the  population  of  the  almost  deserted  cities  and 
serf-tilled  fields  of  the  country  into  potter's  plots  and 
ditches,  leaving  a  wide  track  of  desolation  and  solitude 
behind  it. 

As  the  fires  on  the  great  American  prairies  sweep 
away  the  dry  and  decaying  traces  of  the  summer  vege- 
tation by  their  hot  breath  of  consumption,  thus  pre- 
paring the  soil  with  a  coating  of  fertilizing  ashes  for 
spring's  advent  and  the  birth  of  a  newer,  richer  verdure, 
so  the  plague  of  America  in  the  twenty-first  century, 
by  its  population-consuming  visitation,  made  ready  the 
land  for  the  spring-time  of  a  new  freedom,  which  would 
cover  once  more  the  country  with  its  blooming  blossoms 
of  permanent  happiness,  growing  beneath  the  shade  of 
the  stately,  sturdy  oak  of  national  prosperity,  whose 
wide-spreading  roots  and  feeders  stretching  forth,  re- 
ceived the  life-giving  moisture  of  nature's  clear  foun- 
tains, uncontaminated  with  the  artificial  strength  and 
stimulant  of  restricted  trade  and  unjust  legislation. 


"UNCLE   SAM'S"    CABINS.  229 

The  Reverend  John  Lawton,  now  become  Proprietor 
of  the  District  of  Ohio,  pursuant  to  the  operation 
of  the  law  of  "  Family  Compact,"  (Henry  dying  soon 
after  his  son  and  heir  at  Cleveland,)  assumed  a  strange 
and  unfamiliar  manner  to  all  who  knew  him  as  the 
"  Fighting  Parson." 

Even  Mary  was  astonished  at  the  change  created 
by  the  newly  assumed  position — Proprietor  of  the 
District.  Her  easy,  jovial,  good-hearted  husband  had 
put  on  with  his  dignity  of  Proprietor  a  certain 
sternness,  a  restless  thoughtfulness,  as  if  deeply  meditat- 
ing and  anxious.  Was  her  hero,  her  Jack,  changing  ? 
Was  this  alteration  of  manner  caused  by  the  curse  of  gold 
falling  on  her  husband  ?  These  thoughts  came  invol- 
untarily to  the  mind  of  Mary,  and  were  discarded  with 
indignation  by  her  loyal  heart  as  unworthy.  Still,  he 
seemed  so  strange  and  different,  even  to  the  wife  of 
his  bosom,  that  she  was  filled  with  apprehension  ;  and 
the  wink  and  petting  that  accompanied  the  words, 
"  I  will  make  you  the  greatest  lady  in  America,"  only 
served  to  increase  her  wonderment  at  Jack's  actions. 

He  had  sent  for  old  Weaving  and  all  the  overseers 
of  sections,  calling  them  together  with  the  superinten- 
dent of  the  district,  at  a  meeting  held  in  the  old  man- 
sion, and  said, 

"  Weaving,  I  want  a  concatenated  statement  showing 
every  transaction  of  my  ancestors,  as  far  back  as  you 
know  them  ;  an  accurate  statement  of  every  debtor,  the 
debt,  amount,  and  what  it  came  from.  I  am  a  lawyer — 
necessity  has  taught  me.  Give  me  an  itemized  state- 
ment, and  how  much  money  the  estate  owes  you  for 
sundry  services,  (and  the  item  covers  multitudinous 
misdoings).  I  need  no  Prime  Minister — I  alone  will  be 
Proprietor." 


230  "UNCLE   SAM'S"    CABINS. 

The  sternness  of  the  face  of  the  speaker,  terrified 
gentle  Mary,  knowing  as  she  did  the  man's  strong  na- 
ture. 

"You,  Mr.  Wilson —  I'll  not  rule  the  district  by  sub- 
stitution— I  hire  you  and  pay  you.  Bring  tome  each 
new  order  before  transmission  to  the  serfs  who  till  the 
soil,  my  tenants,  the  bondsmen  of  my  brother,"  and 
"  his  Mollie  "  looked  up  in  surprise  at  the  hard  grating 
voice  in  which  he  said  it. 

"  Overseers,  I  alone  am  master  in  this  District,  obey 
my  orders  or  leave  my  Province.  Do  you  understand 
me?  I  want  a  statement  showing  every  man  and  wo- 
man on  my  land  in  the  District  ;  what  children,  their 
ages,  and,  hear  well !  what  will  they  need  in  supplies  to 
carry  them  to  the  new  harvest  ;  and  I  say  again — re- 
member I  am  here  in  Ohio,  and  master.  Do  my  bid- 
ding !  "  And  somehow  all  who  heard  him  knew  that 
he  was  and  ought  to  be  master. 

Striding  over  to  the  surprised  lawyer,  who,  accus- 
tomed like  a  long  since  departed  German  statesman, 
Bismarck,  to  diplomacy  and  policy,  listened  in  dumb 
silence— Jack,  the  new  Proprietor  said,  "  I  want  cash, 
gold,  ready  money,  that  will  buy  goods  in  any  country, 
and  I  want  a  great  deal  of  it !  Now  your  charge  is  to 
see  that  all  of  the  Lawton  property  not  invested  in 
land  or  the  lives  of  my  countrymen,  is  turned  into 
money,  universally  accepted  dollars— bring  your  state- 
ment in  one  month  here  to  me.  To  this  meeting, 
Overseers,  at  my  expense,  bring  every  serf  in  each  sec- 
tion, until  the  old  Lawton  mansion  shall  by  a  million 
men  be  surrounded.  Now  this  meeting  is  adjourned, 
you  have  my  orders,  obey  them  !  " 

"  No,   Weaving,  I    have  no  time  nor  inclination  for 


"UNCLE    SAMS        CABINS.  23I 

whispered  consultation."  This  remark  made  to  the 
lawyer  came  hard  and  cold  from  the  lips  of  the  Pro- 
prietor whom  the  obsequious  solicitor  was  striving  to 
retain  for  secret  consultation.  But  Jack  rather  hesi- 
tated as  the  old  butler  leaning  on  his  staff,  weak  and 
faltering,  came  forward,  saying : 

"  Your  Excellency,  the  apartments  are  prepared  for 
your  occupancy,  will  you  be  served  in  any  manner?" 

Coming  to  where  the  bent  and  aged  servitor  was 
standing,  the  clergyman  clasping  the  wrinkled  hand 
resting  on  the  staff,  that  old  hand  which  so  often  in 
babyhood  had  guided  his  tottering  footsteps,  said, 
"  Dear  old  friend,  be  patient — I  love  you  but  I  have  a 
surprise  in  store  for  you,  don't  rob  me  of  the  pleas- 
ure." 

Old  Jackson  sniffling  now  and  somewhat  snuffy, 
turned  triumphant  to  the  other  attendants  and  said,  as 
if  he  knew  Jack's  secret,  "  His  Excellency  will  not  oc- 
cupy the  Mansion  at  present  ;  "  and  as  Jack  and  Mary 
walked  out  of  the  grand  doorway  of  the  mansion, 
Weaving  again  touching  Jack's  elbow,  begged  to  have 
a  few  moments  of  the  Proprietor's  time  for  a  most  im- 
portant matter,  Jack  responded  with  impatience  : 

"  Weaving,  man  !  I  have  told  you  that  there  is  no 
occasion  for  secrets  with  me, — I  have  no  partners  in  my 
ideas  of  policy.  Now,  go,  man  !  I  will  not  stay 
another  moment  beneath  the  roof  of  my  ancestors  un- 
til the  serfs  and  slaves  created  by  your  machinations, 
hear  the  orders  of  the  new  Proprietor  from  my  own 
lips,  given  here  on  the  front  steps  of  my  mansion. 
Now,  man,  begone,  and  come  to  me  with  your  state- 
ment one  month  hence,"  and  jerking  with  some  show 
of  temper  from   the   restraining  touch   of  the  lawyer, 


232  "UNCLE   SAMS       CABINS. 

Jack  with  Mary  walked  out  across  the  fields  toward 
the  "  Parsonage." 

Along  the  way  the  early,  cold  and  frosty  spring 
breezes  listening,  told  it,  that  Jack  all  worn  and  his 
great  strength  wasted  by  a  winter  of  toil  and  watch- 
ing, while  the  dread  plague  had  been  present  in  the 
country — when  out  of  sight  of  all  others,  would  drop 
Mary's  hand,  jump  on  a  snow  bank  and  whoop!  like  a 
schoolboy — dance  about  doing  all  kinds  of  unclerical, 
undignified  manoeuvres — would  bound  back  to  the 
side  of  the  wondering  Mary,  with  his  lined  and  care- 
worn face  all  wreathed  with  laughter,  clasping  to  his 
honest  heart  his,  "  Mollie  " — would  cry  "Oh!  howl 
will  surprise  them  !  You,  my  baby,  shall  be  first  lady 
of  America  " — and  the  twinkling  stars  say  (but  don't 
you  tell  it)  that  they  saw  (Oh !  shocking)  dancing, 
actually  dancing  over  the  late  fields  of  snow  lying  be- 
tween the  mansion  and  the  "  Parsonage  "  two  figures, 
just  as  a  boy  and  girl  would,  and  the  stars,  those  big 
scandal-mongers,  whisper  that  the  figures  were  no 
other  than  our  big,  brave  clergyman — the  new  Pro- 
prietor and — Dame  Grundy,  lift  your  hands  in  holy 
horror  ! — his  lady — and  further  some  keen-eared  stars 
way  up  in  Heaven  have  reported — Oh !  impossible — 
that  they  heard  sounds  recalling  an  old  negro  melody 
of  the  nineteenth  century  :  "  Oh  !  dem  golden  slippers 
we  are  gwin'  to  wear  when  we  tread  dem  golden 
streets — "  as  the  figures  of  the  minister  and  wife 
danced  homeward.  If  true,  how  horrible  !  So  uncon- 
ventional— but  that  Jack  always  was  a  democratic  hea- 
then, and  his  wife — oh  !  she  is  a  mud-sill,  a  clod-hopper. 

When  Jack  had  given  his  dead  brother,  the  custo- 
mary funeral  of  dead    Proprietors,  interring  his  body 


"  UNCLE   SAMS       CABINS.  233 

with  the  due  amount  of  ostentatious  obsequies,  in 
Trinity  Church  in  New  York,  whither  he  had  taken 
the  remains  as  soon  as  the  plague  had  disappeared 
from  the  district  of  which  he  was  now  Proprietor — 
he  applied  himself  to  the  important  duties  thrust  so 
unexpectedly  upon  him  by  the  sudden  deaths  of  his 
brother  and  nephew. 

He  had  promptly  notified  the  Federal  government 
at  Washington  of  his  accession  to  power  in  the  prov- 
ince of  Ohio- — and  after  the  meeting  which  he  had 
ordered  to  take  place  at  the  Lawton  mansion  in 
Ohio,  a  description  of  which,  has  been  given,  Jack 
set  out  for  a  personal  examination  into  the  con- 
dition of  the  different  Sections  of  his  District,  to  see 
the  extent  of  the  desolation  caused  by  the  recent  visi- 
tation of  the  plague  upon  an  already  impoverished  and 
almost  depopulated  agricultural  district. 

America  had  passed  through  a  period,  prior  to  the 
plague,  of  an  emigration  of  all  those  possibly  able  to 
leave  the  country,  as  great  as  the  historical  immigra- 
tion which  took  place  in  the  nineteenth  century  to 
America.  The  causes  which  had  operated  to  impover- 
ish Ireland,  (absentee  landlordism,  and  the  constant 
drains  upon  the  tillers  of  the  soil,)  which  resulted  in 
the  enormous  immigration  to  the  United  States  of  Irish 
people,  a  century  before,  had  turned  the  course  of  the 
tide  away  from  America  and  toward  more  favorably 
conditioned  continents — such  as  Africa  and  South 
America — while  the  United  States  had  been  busily  and 
blindly  eating  up  the  principal  of  its  capital,  Public 
Lands,  and  not  hoarding  the  wealth  annually  pro- 
duced in  the  crops,  the  interest, — America  offered  a 
very  Mecca  for  emigrants  from  Europe,  but  now  that 


234  ''UNCLE  sam's"  cabins. 

like  the  Prodigal  Son,  the  Government  of  the  Federal 
Union  had  spent  its  substance  in  the  riotous  living  in 
the  much  vaunted  artificial,  delirious  prosperity  of  a  few 
decades  following  the  great  American  Civil  War  and 
become  reduced  to  a  condition  of  existing  like  swine 
upon  husks,  emigrants  avoided  the  United  States, 
moving,  their  columns  augmented  by  vast  numbers  of 
American  mechanics  and  farm  laborers,  toward  other 
continents  still  lying  with  land  unconsumed. 

Jack,  by  his  self-ostracism,  had  dwelt  in  intimate 
association  for  years  with  want  and  misery,  but 
even  so,  he  found  himself  unprepared  for  the  sights 
presented  to  him  in  the  wretchedness  of  the  other  sec- 
tions of  the  district,  of  which  he  was  Proprietor.  He 
had  failed  to  appreciate  how  much  the  labor  of  him- 
self and  good  wife,  had  alleviated  the  sufferings  of  the 
serfs  in  his  own  section,  where  as  pastor,  friend  and 
doctor,  he  had  dwelt,  with  Mary  as  nurse,  teacher  and 
helper  in  every  humble  hovel  of  that  quarter  of  his 
district. 

Wilson,  the  superintendent,  who  for  ten  years  had 
filled  the  place  of  Johnson  who  was  killed  by  George 
Hollister,  accompanied  Jack  in  his  tour  of  investigation, 
was  in  no  respect,  a  man  lacking  in  kindly  feeling  or 
knowledge  concerning  the  administration  of  affairs  in 
Jack's  province.  Early  in  Wilson's  acquaintance  with 
the  then  young  clergyman,  Wilson  had  learned  to  re- 
spect and  admire  Jack's  sincerity  and  sterling  qualities, 
and  in  many  ways  had  assisted  in  ameliorating  the  new 
condition  of  serfdom  forced  upon  the  tenants. 

Wilson,  under  favorable  conditions,  would  simply 
have  been  a  good  man  of  business,  but  in  the  deformed 
disarranged  natural  order   of   trade  and  commerce  in 


"  UNCLE   SAM  S   '    CABINS.  235 

America,  after  the  existence  for  more  than  a  century 
of  the  iniquitous  laws  regulating  importations,  was 
glad  to  serve  in  the  capacity  of  superintendent  for  a 
powerful  Proprietor. 

The  impossibility  of  winning  success  in  mercantile 
life  without  patronage  and  protection  from  a  Proprie- 
tor had  so  crushed  out  all  hope  in  the  American  bosom, 
naturally,  by  instinct  of  climatic  creation,  mercantile, — 
that  America  had  been  robbed  of  the  existence  of  that 
class  of  merchants  who  so  amazingly  assisted  in  build- 
ing up  the  prosperity  of  the  young  country  long  before 
the  Civil  War.  Wilson  was  essentially  a  good  mer- 
chant by  instinct  and  would  have  proven  himself  an 
ornament  to  the  old  Boards  ofTrade  of  Boston,  New 
York  or  Chicago. 

During  their  days  of  travel  over  the  District,  Jack 
obtained  many  valuable  suggestions  from  his  superin- 
tendent, as  to  the  speediest  method  of  making  the  de- 
vastated, depopulated  district   productive    of   revenue. 

As  Jack  expressed  it,  he  felt  like  Frederick,  the  great 
Prussian  monarch,  on  returning  to  Brandenberg  after  the 
seven  years  of  hostility  with  France,  Austria  and  Rus- 
sia, he  entered  everywhere  upon  scenes  of  waste  land, 
devastation  and  ruin,  where  every  still  surviving,  poor 
and  dispirited  inhabitant,  regarded  him  with  filial  feel- 
ing, having  no  reliance  in  their  own  exertions.  Oh  ! 
the  blessing  of  Paternalism  in  Governments  ! 

Jack, — in  his  round  of  visits  to  the  cabins  of  the  de- 
scendants of  Uncle  Sam's  (so,  affectionately,  the  people 
called  the  Federal  government  in  the  nineteenth  cen- 
tury) farmers,  now  inhabited  by  serfs  and  ignorant 
plodders,  was  struck  by  the  total  absence  of  every  arti- 
cle, requiring  the  trained  skill  of  artisan  or  mechanic. 


236  "  UNCLE   SAM'S  "    CABINS. 

Furniture  the  most  meagre  coarse  and  crude,  was  of 
home  construction  ;  garments  made  -of  home-woven 
cheap  rough  texture  ;  no  comforts,  luxuries  had  been 
so  long  gone  as  to  be  forgotten — turning  to  Wilson, 
the  new  Proprietor  would  say  and  fifty  times  resay  it — 

"  Is  it  not  a  wonder,  how  in  the  name  of  all  the 
madness  of  the  past  century,  artisans,  laborers,  me- 
chanics could  have  expected  to  sell  their  products, 
while  every  day,  they  were  killing  by  importation 
taxes,  their  only  customer  ?  Look  at  this,  not  a  car- 
pet, clock  or  curtain,  too  impoverished  to  purchase 
such  luxuries.  Now  where  in  the  name  of  their  wild 
delirium  did  the  laborers  of  New  England  expect  to  sell 
their  products,  after  by  prohibitory  taxes  cutting  off 
cheap  raw  material,  fuel,  labor,  thus  preventing  cheap 
manufacturing  in  this  country  and  sale  of  their  goods 
in  markets  of  competition  ?  Wilson,  this  evidence  of 
the  insanity  of  American  ancestors  surpasses  the  wild- 
est tales  told  of  the  Mississippi  fever  of  the  Regent's 
reign  in  France  or  England's  mania  during  the  South 
Sea  Bubble." 

Then  as  Jack  would  gaze  on  some  unfenced  field  he 
would  say,  "  There  is  now  no  need  for  barbed  wire, 
for  there  is  nothing  on  the  deserted  land  to  protect 
from  intrusion.  Oh!  wise  manufacturers!  By  the 
crippled  legs  of  the  Philadelphia  cook,  my  good  fore- 
father, who  enjoyed  a  tribute  paid  by  every  needle 
of  the  nation,  I  will  be  obliged  to  return  to  the  honest 
occupation  of  being  a  steward  for  the  hungry  soldiers 
of  the  Federal  government" — and  again  Jack  would 
joke  the  absolutely  nonplussed  superintendent  about 
his  schemes  to  get  fat  out  of  the  dry  bones  of  the 
farmers,  saying  : 


"UNCLE   SAM'S  "   CABINS.  237 

"A  magnificent  property  my  ancestors  have  left  me, 
a  land  so  poor  that  every  New  York,  Cincinnati,  Cleve- 
land building  is  tenantless  and  vacant,  every  acre  of 
ground,  an  encumbrance,  for  I  must  pay  taxes  to  sup- 
port the  government,  so  grand,  so  central  !  Well, 
Wilson,  how  like  you  this  picture?  This  District, 
once  the  State  of  Ohio  with  nearly  five  million  popula- 
tion, (now,  my  poor  starved  serfs  scarcely  number  one- 
tenth  of  the  figure  )  was  once  the  home  of  the  Napo- 
leons of  Political  Economy  in  America.  They  used  to 
quarrel  and  make  long,  eloquent  rage-creating  speeches 
about  taxation  on  wool,  growing  on  the  backs  oFsheep 
in  Ohio.  Poor  Napoleons:  return  and  find  me  but 
one  wool-bearing  animal  in  this  tax-consumed  district, 
and  I  will  forgive  your  past  conduct  and  call  it,  at 
least,  honest  but  as  time  has  shown  it,  mad  and  dan- 
gerously destructive  to  the  nation." 

Jack's  mystifying  manner  and  speeches  kept  the 
poor  superintendent  in  a  constant  state  of  confusion. 
Jack  would  insist  In  disregarding  all  the  reports  of  the 
overseers  and  visiting  in  person,  cabins  along  the 
highway  and  asking  of  men,  women  and  children  such 
strange  questions,  some  of  these  are  samples — "  Who 
was 'Abraham  Lincoln?"  "What  was  the  result  of 
slavery  in  the  Southern  States  ?  "  and  one  day  when 
a  great  hulking  lad  said  that : 

"  Lincoln  was  the  friend  of  the  common  people  and 
was  an  honest  man,"  the  strong  pastor,  now  lordly 
Proprietor,  grabbed  the  lumbering,  awkward  serf  boy 
and  lifting  the  astonished  peasant  clear  from  the 
earthen  floor  he  stood  on,  clasped  him  to  his  brawny 
bosom  saying  : 

"  I'll    kiss   you,  boy,    remember   Lincoln,  he  was  a 


238  *'  UNCLE   SAM'S"    CABINS. 

man  of  the  people  and  never  intended  that  by  the  obli- 
teration of  negro  slavery,  he  should  create  conditions 
which  have  been  used  by  designing  men  for  more 
than  a  century  to  rob  and  enslave  Anglo-Saxons'  — 
and  kissing  the  booby  fellow  on  the  cheek  and  calling 
him  "  brother,"  gave  him  five  dollars  to  buy  a  history 
of  America,  as  the  farm  boy  said  he  had  learned  to 
read — and  in  another  cabin  where  a  young  woman 
answering  his  questions  about  the  history  of  Ohio, 
said : 

"  Two  brothers  named  Sherman  in  the  old  days 
were  men  that  the  state  had  been  proud  of,  one  a 
great  soldier,  the  other  a  sound  and  safe  financier  and 
statesman "  and  at  the  proprietor's  quick  approval 
had  added  out  of  deference  for  his  class  and  position 
(women  in  every  stage  of  civilization  are  arch  flatter- 
ers)— "And  the  great  McKinley  was  from  Ohio" — the 
attentive  questioner,  patted  her  on  the  head  saying  : 

"  As  you  cannot  read,  here  is  a  coin  to  purchase  an 
imported  looking-glass,  in  which  you  will  see  reflected 
when  you  look  at  it,  a  picture  made  by  the  perspicacity 
of  your  ancestors  who  believed  in  the  doctrines  of 
Ohio's  great  statesman  McKinley."  But,  somehow 
while  smiling  kindly  at  the  maiden,  the  fatherly  pastor 
and  Proprietor  forgot  to  kiss  the  young  admirer  of  the 
mad  theories  of  past  generations. 

When  Jack  had  finished  his  personal  inspection  of 
each  Section  of  his  District  and  seated  cosily  by  the 
great  hearth  in  the  "  Parsonage  "  holding  his  wife's  hand 
clasped  in  his  own  said,  as  he  gazed  at  the  ghostly  fig- 
ures made  by  the  smoke  rolling  up  the  chimney, 

"  Mollie,  I  wonder  if  spirits  wander  over  scenes  famil- 
iar to  the  body  while  they  dwelt  here  ?  "  and  if  so,  did 


"UNCLE   SAM'S "   CABINb.  239 

any  of  the  deluded  citizens  of  the  departed  State  of 
Ohio,  go  with  me  on  my  trip,  through  their  once 
happy,  much  taxed  country?  " 

And  Mary,  nestling  close  to  her  recently  returned 
husband,  laying  her  head  on  his  stout  shoulder  said, 
"Well,  Jack,  if  they  did,  they  were  in  wiser  company 
than  they  kept  in  their  political  association  while  on 
earth  and  citizens  of  the  State  of  Ohio,  a  hundred  years 
ago,"  and  when  Mary  half  complaining  of  Jack's 
altered  manner  and  having  a  secret  from  her,  urged  him 
for  an  explanation,  he,  for  reply  kissed  her  and  smiling 
with  boyish  exultation,  exclaimed, 

"  Wait  Mollie,  until  to-morrow,  when  you  shall  hear 
my  secret  told  from  the  steps  of  the  Lawton  mansion, 
by  my  own  lips  to  gathered  solicitor,  superintendent, 
overseers,  serfs  and  bondmen.  And  the  secret  shall  re- 
verberate over  America,  in  the  ears  of  every  Proprietor 
throughout  the  country.  Wait,  Mollie  darling,  a  few 
hours  longer.  Oh,  how  I  will  surprise  them  with  your 
Jack's  secret !  " 


CHAPTER   XX. 

STANDING  flushed  and  triumphant  on  the  steps  of 
the  Lawton  mansion,  his  face  beaming  with  the  happi- 
ness within  him  was  Jack  Lawton.  As  boy,  man,  pas- 
tor or  Proprietor  he  was  known  to  every  grey-clad  serf 
who  stood  before  him  all  attention  listening  for  orders 
from  their  new  master.  Around  him  all  expectant, 
awaiting  some  surprising  sensation,  were  clustered, — 
nearest  to  him,  "  My  Lady  " — (did  it  make  her  better 
than  when  called  "  that  woman  "  ?  )  ,  Mary.  The  anx- 
ious solicitor,  standing,  leaning  on  a  pillar  of  the  wide 
piazza,  whispering  as  his  wont  was,  to  the  superintend- 
ent in  whom,  a  dazed  condition  had  long  taken  sway  over 
his  mind's  early  surprise  at  the  conduct  and  opinions  of 
his  new  employer.  In  the  background,  the  old  butler 
surrounded  by  servitors,  overseers  and  lots  of  Lawton 
flunkies,  was  resting  on  the  staff  he  carried. 

When  the  hour  of  noon  tolled  from  the  tower  on  the 
mansion,  the  Reverend  John  Lawton,  Proprietor  of  the 
District  of  Ohio,  raised  his  hand  as  if  calling  heaven 
to  witness,  and  exclaimed,  with  exultation  marking 
every  accent,  in  a  voice  resounding  through  the  long 
avenues  and  echoing  down  the  green  arches  of  the  bud- 


"UNCLE   SAM'S  "   CABINS.  24I 

ding  boughs  of  the  elm  and  maple  in  the  park  of  the 
Lavvton  mansion,  carrying  his  messagetto  all  the  mass  of 
anxious  bondmen — 

"  There  are  now  no  serfs  in  the  District  of  Ohio  !  " 
The  sands  of  time  have  recorded  the  footprints  of 
another,  before  whom  in  silence,  a  world  had  stood, 
transformed  by  sudden  admiration  momentarily,  into 
mute,  seemingly  unappreciative  spectators,  until 
the  soul  of  civilization  awakening,  sent  an  electric 
thrill  of  'applause  throughout  creation,  for  the  man, 
plain  and  honest,  in  all  his  awkward  grandeur,  who — 
"  with  malice  toward  none  and  charity  for  all  " — had  set 
free  a  race  of  bondmen,  As  the  wondering  world  did 
then,  so  did  the  astonished  audience  to  whom  Jack 
made  the  announcement. 

Mary  first  recovered  from  the  surprise  occasioned 
by  her  husband  casting  away  the  bonds  that  held  in 
bondage  to  him,  thousands  of  slaves — once  free  Ameri- 
cans— coming  to  her  husband,  she  with  her  face  reflec- 
ting all  the  glow  and  joy  of  his  happiness,  took  his 
hand  and  pressed  it  to  her  bosom,  saying,  "  Jack,  my 
husband,  I  am  the  proudest  woman  in  America,  and 
by  right,  first  lady,  being  honored  by  your  love,"  and 
whispering,  added,  "  My  darling!"  Vanished  is  the 
occupation  of  the  divorce  lawyer  when  American  wives 
make  such  speeches  to  their  husbands  after  ten  years  of 
life  with  them.  Poets  may  write  verses,  artists  make 
beautiful  pictures  of  Love's  first  mission  to  some  fair 
maiden,  but  to  the  man  of  mature  and  experienced  ideas, 
the  loving  matron  past  thirty,  giving  evidence  of  the 
existence  of  the  love  light  of  her  maiden  fancy  for  her 
husband,  is  the  prettiest  poem-picture  ever  yet  crea- 
ted ;  somehow  recalling  even  to  the  minds  of  the  most 


243  "UNCLE   SAM'S  "   CABINS. 

cynical,  scenes  of  Mother,  Father,  home  and, — (well,  it's 
nearly  heaven,  in  the  purity,  it  will  put  into  the  hearts 
of  the  basest  sinners).  Ere  Jack  could  respond  to  his 
Mollie's  caresses,  the  trance  created  by  his  proclama- 
tion, was  broken. 

Once  more  American  hills  and  valleys  reverberated 
with  the  same  old  shouts  of  freemen,  heard  at  Bunker 
Hill  and  Yorktown,  heard  by  Perry's  foes  on  Lake 
Erie  ;  re-echoed  from  the  bayous  of  Louisiana,  where 
Jackson  contended  commanding  untrained  militia 
against  Wellington's  famed  veterans  ;  booming  on  the 
evening  air  at  Buena  Vista  ;  coming, — Oh  the  pity  of 
it  ! — on  the  wintry  wind  of  Virginia,  where  Burnside 
charged  those  deadly  hills  of  Fredericksburg ;  and 
echoed  back  from  Pennsylvania  where  Pickett  led  his 
fiery  legion. 

Serfs  and  slaves  no  longer  !  Men  throw  back  their 
hoods  and  in  God's  free  air  awake  the  very  echoes  of 
the  heavens  with  their  shouts  of  freedom.  Did  you 
ever  hear  ten  thousand  men  shout  in  unison?  If  so, 
that  cry  was  but  weakly,  to  the  sound  ascending  as 
incense  to  the  Great  Emancipator  who  gave  his  life  to 
free  "  all  people."  Jack — (and  who  would  deprive  him 
of  it)  stood  and  drank  in  one  moment  of  transcendent 
happiness  and  glory — one  moment  of  such  feeling 
would  pay  for  a  multitude  of  years  passed  in  pain  and 
sorrow. 

Old  Jackson,  old  servitors  of  the  Lawton  family, 
overseers  and  even  Wilson  the  superintendent  (thanks 
to  the  American  blood  which  he  inherited)  could  no 
longer  restrain  their  desire  to  be  near  Jack,  who  like 
some  great  magnet,  seemed  to  attract  men  to  him  ; 
pressing  close  about  the  man,  who  by  nature,  was  firsf 


"  UNCLE    SAM  S       CABINS.  243 

in  all  that  multitude,  they  sought  to  touch  his  plain 
and  somewhat  threadbare  garments. 

Old  Weaving,  pale  and  quivering  with  ill-concealed 
anger  and  emotion,  pushing  by  the  servants,  came  for- 
ward saying  : 

"  But,  sir,  legal  complications, — your  heirs — the 
Family  Compact."  The  hero  of  the  occasion  flashed 
one  angry  glanced  at  the  wrinkled  crafty  face  beside 
him  and  said  sternly. 

"  Sir  Machiavelli,  I  am  the  last  of  the  Lawtons, 
God  has  seen  fit  to  send  me  no  children,  that  all  these 
people  before  me  should  seem  my  descendants, — and 
Sir  Solicitor,  the  curse  of  my  country  has  been  law- 
yers, as  under  the  Valois  and  Bourbons  of  France, 
the  Church  was, — but  in  me,  you  see  no  Thirteenth 
Louis  and  your  glass  will  not  reflect  a  Richelieu.'' 
With  a  wave  of  his  hand  he  dismissed  a  type  of  the 
disturber  in  all  conventions  of  the  Nineteenth 
Century. 

Turning  now  to  the  sea  of  hatless  heads  before  him, 
in  tones  resounding  through  the  newly  green  bedecked 
avenues  and  alley.  May  the  words  with  ceaseless 
sounding,  echo  through  all  ages  ! 

To  be  perched  on  a  pyramid  is  a  solitary  position. 
Lands  of  pyramids  and  palaces  are  filled  with  potters' 
plots  and  paupers'  hovels,  even  the  life  of  a  Pharoah 
must  have  been  depressing  when  not  engaged  in  the 
amiable  relaxation  of  cutting  off  the  heads  of  a  few 
subjects. 

It  is  a  difficult  matter  for  a  single  individual  to  enjoy 
his  solitary  happiness,  purchased  by  the  groans  of  all 
other  people  of  his  realm — the  association  of  such  a 
magnate  with  his  subjects  can  afford  no  greater  enter- 


244  "UNCLE   SAM'S  "    CABINS. 

tainment  than  could  be  found  by  a  lion,  with  his  stern 
joy  in  combat,  having  a  mouse  as  an  opponent.  I  am 
giving  altogether  my  selfish  reasons  for  the  emancipa- 
tion of  the  serfs  of  this  district.  Robinson  Crusoe 
famed  in  Defoe's  great  story  would  have  gladly  given 
nine-tenths  of  his  island  to  others, — his  equals, — and 
been  richer  in  possessing  only  the  remaining  one-tenth, 
than  when  sole  "proprietor  of  the  kingdom  of  his  soli- 
tude, surrounded  by  slaves  and  animals  only.  His- 
tory has  shown  the  truth  of  my  statement  in  the 
rapidly  increased  wealth  of  the  Southern  States  of 
America,  after  the  freeing  of  the  negroes. 

I  will  give  in  fee-simple  to  each  family  all  the  land 
that  they  can  cultivate,  attached  to  the  deeds  of  gift, 
are  certain  conditions,  which  the  experiences  of  the 
United  States  Government,  that  gave  away  the  land  of 
the  people,  has  taught  me,  are  necessary,  to  prevent  a 
return  to  your  present  position.  This  gift  of  land  is 
for  the  same  selfish  reason  on  my  part  as  that  which 
formerly  emanated  in  the  desire  of  the  Federal  Union 
to  increase  the  wealth  and  population  of  the  country, 
the  same  that  Robinson  Crusoe's  selfish  human  nature 
taught  him. 

In  this  giving  of  my  property,  I  wish  practically 
to  refute  a  prevalent  idea  growing  up  in  the  minds 
of  unthinking  people  by  the  constant  reiterated 
phrases  "  Divide,  and  in  a  short  time  the  wealth  would 
all  again  be  concentrated  in  the  hands  of  a  few,  and 
again  division  would  become  necessary."  By  a  parity 
of  reasoning,  why  feed  the  starving  beggar?  He  will 
become  again,  hungry.  Why  feed  or  bathe  ?  We  will 
all  again  become  hungry  and  soiled.  If  this  oft- 
repeated  sentence  admits  of  no  contradiction, — let  the 


"UNCLE   SAMS"   CABINS.  245 

beggar  starve, — let  us  all  ourselves  go  unwashed  and 
hungry.  '  Laissez  /aire'  is  the  only  true  doctrine  of 
creation.  If  when  you  hand  the  starving  beggar,  food, 
you  slip  handcuffs  on  him  to  prevent  his  using  the 
strength  derived  from  the  food  contributed,  how  can 
you  blame  him  when  again  hungry,  for  having  naught 
with  which  to  satisfy  his  appetite  ? 

The  old  United  States  gave  of  the  people's  land  to 
the  starving  European  emigrants  who  came  by  mill- 
ions, in  the  three  decades  succeeding  the  Civil  War, 
to  the  shores  of  this  country,  like  the  starving  beggars 
flocking  to  the  doors  of  the  rich  and  liberal.  As  fast 
as  they  came,  they  were  given  land  and  homes  but 
how  ?  With  unseen  manacles  fastened  on  the  tillers 
of  God's  richest  soil,  America.  These  unseen  and 
enslaving  fetters,  taxes,  preventing  free  exchange  of 
products,  made  in  the  interest  of  so-called  infant  indus- 
tries, have  filled  the  land  with  slaves  and  paupers. 
The  Government  giving  of  its  store  of  bread  laid  up 
for  the  nation,  made  itself  poor,  and  then  locked  up  the 
prisoners  of  its  bounty,  to  labor  in  the  blinding  glare 
of  a  false  prosperity,  for  the  few,  the  vast  minority, 
who  owned  those  cherished  "  Infant  Industries." 

Now  to  obstruct  the  recurrence  of  the  present  con- 
dition and  secure  the  beggar  against  the  pangs  of 
returning  starvation,  I  have  incorporated  in  my  deeds 
of  gift  of  land  to  the  people  of  the  District,  these 
conditions : 

You  shall  utilize  the  gift,  enriched  by  bounteous  Na- 
ture, raising  crops  of  grain  and  other  natural  products 
upon  the  land  given  ;  selling  the  fruits  of  the  soil  yielded 
as  the  result  of  freemen's  labor  where  ever  the  greatest 
price   will  be  paid  for  it  ;  taking  your  pay  in  money 


246  "  uncle  sam's  "  cabins. 

such  as  is  held  good  the  world  over  ;  taking  in  exchange 
only  money,  hoarding  it  up ;  doing  without  all  manu- 
factured articles  of  luxury  and  comfort  as  now  you  do, 
forced  to  economy  by  poverty — until  such  time 
shall  come  that  you  can  freely  barter  in  the  world's 
markets  where  you  sell  your  products  for  your  needed 
manufactured  luxuries  and  comforts. 

Thus  will  the  wealth  taken  from  the  soil,  which  I  now 
give  you,  (as  once  gave  the  Federal  government,  land 
to  all  comers)  remain  in  possession  of  the  makers  of  the 
wealth  of  a  nation — the  people — not  concentrated — by 
means  of  trading  laws  and  taxes,  creating  trusts,  mon- 
opolies— into  the  hands  of  secret  enslavers,  who  by  in- 
nocent looking  laws  of  Importation  Taxes,  have  become 
owners  and  masters  of  America, — welcoming  each 
newly  arriving  emigrant  as  an  additional  tribute-payer 
who,  for  the  monopolist  and  his  descendants,  will  "  take 
up  "  Uncle  Sam's  land,  till  it  and  labor  on  a  property 
that  must  eventually  come  to  be  the  Capitalists'  and 
Monopolists.' 

You  will  raise  wheat  and  corn  in  the  District  of  Ohio 
not  oranges  and  Arctic  mosses — Your  flocks  will  be 
sheep,  cows  and  horses,  not  polar  bears,  monkeys  and 
ostriches — Your  common  sense  will  indicate  such 
products  as  are  natural  in  this  latitude  and  condition 
of  climate — If  you  endeavor  to  raise  oranges  or  Arc 
tic  mosses — one  must  be  kept  warm  by  hothouses,  the 
other  frozen  by  artificial  snow  and  ice, — who  will  pay 
the  expenses  of  all  these  additional  devices  when  you 
go  to  sell  your  oranges  and  mosses?    The  consumers? 

Not  as  long  as  they  can  buy  in  Bermuda,  Florida  or 
the  Arctic  regions — and  there  are  no  Federal  laws  to  pro- 
hibit the  use  of  these  articles  when  raised  in  other  coun- 


"  UNCLE   SAM'S       CABINS.  247 

tries  and  thus  to  foster  your  insane  cultivation  of 
unnatural  fruits  and  products.  Take  the  lessons  taught 
by  oranges  raised  in  Ohio — Until  you  can  purchase  the 
needed  manufactured  articles  in  the  cheapest  place  of 
production,  buy  none  of  them. 

Keep  the  wealth  of  the  land  I  give  you — unlike  Uncle 
Sam  of  the  last  century,  there  is  not  the  condition  at- 
tached to  the  deed  of  gift,  that  you  shall  labor  and  pay 
tribute  to  the  manufacturers  of  my  district — I  now  am 
like  the  generous  Federal  government  one  hundred 
years  ago,  poor  in  land  but  have  provided  by  the  con- 
ditions of  my  gift,  that  wealth  shall  be  scattered  all 
around  me,  not  concentrated  into  the  hands  of  a  few 
recipients  of  the  benefit  of  Federal  legislation  to  be 
turned  into  gold  and  taken  by  them  to  Europe  " — and 
then  Jack  bowing  to  the  shout,  that  saluted  this 
speech, — by  their  slavery  and  experience,  well  under- 
stood by  every  recent  bondman, — taking  Mary's  hand, 
said — 

"  Now  I  feel  that  I  may  enter  this  mansion,  purified 
somewhat  from  the  stifling  vapors  of  oppression,  rising 
from  the  putrefaction  engendered  in  [the  mad  crimes, 
injustices  and  vices  of  a  past  century." 

And  Jack's  heart  filled  to  overflowing  with  the  pride 
of  well  doing,  led  "  Mollie  "  before  the  picture  of  his 
good  mother  saying  "  There  is  one,  who  up  in  Heaven, 
agrees  with  us,  my  darling,  even  though  she  was  a 
'  sugar  king's'  daughter.'  " 

Draw  down  the  curtain,  hide  Jack's  scene  of  triumph 
— Don't  tell  of  the  long  line  of  grey-clad  men,  who 
came,  with  restored  liberty  shining  in  their  faces,  press- 
ing forward  to  look  at  him."  (Men  of  Anglo-Saxon 
blood  are  poor  speakers  when  they  most  feel)  Don't  tell 


248  "UNCLE   SAM'S  "    CABINS. 

anything  of  honest,  manly  noble  sentiment,  Don't  tell 
of  truth,  honor  and  virtue,  God  or  Mother,  because 
some  mad  ghost  of  the  delirious  Nineteenth  Century, 
fed  for  years  on  jokes,  abnormal  sensuality  in  literature, 
with  insane  contempt  for  nobility  of  character,  as  de- 
picted by  the  old  "  Cranks  "  of  past  ages  of  literature, 
will  arise,  yelling  in  derision  "  Oh,  Rats." — "  You're 
guying  !  " — "  Come  off,  don't  be  quixotic  !  " 

Shades  of  Homer,  Shakespeare  and  Milton  forgive 
that  learned  doctor  (who  were  his  patients  except  capi- 
talists, cooks,  conventions  and  corporations?  is  not  re- 
corded and  his  very  name  is  not  remembered ;  a 
"  guyer's  "  name  does  not  often  outlive  his  century) 
who  set  the  example  of  joking  about  and  making  triv- 
ial the  best  sentiments  of  the  American  people,  in  the 
Nineteenth  Century. 

****** 

Obedient  to  the  orders  that  he  had  received  from  the 
new  Proprietor,  Mr.  Weaving  had,  as  rapidly  as  pos- 
sible, by  the  sale  of  such  personal  property  of  the 
estate  as  he  could  find  purchasers  for,  who  possessed 
ready  money,  collected  cash,  which,  together  with  the 
past  stored  accumulations  of  the  estate,  Lawton  im- 
mediately began  to  expend  for  the  usual  agricultural 
implements  formerly  used  in  America.  These  he  pro- 
cured in  England, — cheap  slave  labor  and  the  poverty 
of  the  farmers  of  America,  had  caused  the  use  of  im- 
proved tools  to  be  abandoned,  and  of  course,  the  cheaper 
manufacturing  cost  in  countries  where  iron  and  fuel 
paid  no  taxes,  gave  all  African,  Asiatic  and  South 
American  trade  in  farming  implements  to  England, 
thereby  closing  American  factories — These  he  gave  to 
the  emancipated  serfs,  with  cattle  such  as  horses,  cows, 


"UNCLE   SAM'S"   CABINS.  249 

hogs  and  sheep  to  stock  their  new  possessions — the 
cattle  he  imported  from  Australia,  as  practically  domes- 
tic cattle  had  long  since  disappeared  with  the  buffaloes 
from  America,  gone  in  clouds  of  interest  on  mortgages, 
eaten  up  by  profits  paid  monopolists  on  manufactured 
articles,  drowned  and  washed  away  in  the  deluge  of 
State  and  Federal  taxes — Having  provided  the  people 
with  necessary  supplies  to  support  them  until  their 
first  harvest,  their  former  master  gave  them  this  part- 
ing admonition — 

"  My  gifts  will  amount  to  no  permanent  benefit  to 
you,  having  no  monopoly  of  the  world's  grain  and 
cattle  market,  if  you  foster  the  establishment  of  monop- 
olies by  dealing  with  infant  industries  and  giving  to 
the  monopolists  the  substance  of  the  soil  and  your 
labor,  under  the  guise  of  shelter  for  exotic  plants,  the 
cultivation  of  oranges  in  Ohio  hothouses,  arctic  mosses 
in  refrigerators.  Do  without  the  oranges  and  mosses 
until  the  law  permits  you  to  buy  them,  where  raised 
cheapest,  upon  the  same  terms  as  you  sell  the  products 
of  the  soil  you  cultivate.  Those  industries  and  factor- 
ies which,  by  the  laws  of  trade,  belong  to  a  country,  will 
grow  up  in  it  without  shelter  even  in  spite  of  the  fierc- 
est storms  of  competition." 

The  Reverend  Mr.  Lawton  (he  objected  always  to 
the  title  of  Proprietor)  heedless  of  the  comments  made 
by  others  of  his  class  and  station,  absolutely  refused  to 
live  in  the  grand  mansion  but  continued  to  occupy  his 
modest  home,  the  "  Parsonage."  Spending  most  of 
his  time  in  tours  of  inspection  over  the  District  of  Ohio, 
always  accompanied  by  his  faithful  wife,  helper  in  his 
labors — always  insisting  that  the  farmers  should  buy 
nothing  with    the    money    received    from  the  world's 


250  "UNCLE   SAM'S  "    CABINS. 

market,  for  the  crops  raised  by  them  unless  they  were 
permitted  by  law  to  purchase  where  what  they  needed 
was  sold  cheapest. 

Thus  it  happened  that  two  years  after  the  emanci- 
pation of  the  serfs  of  the  District,  the  steady  undiver- 
ted tide  of  dollars  flowing  from  Europe  into  Ohio, 
placed  so  much  money  at  the  disposal  of  the  farm- 
ers, that  it  attracted  the  attention  of  the  idle  me- 
chanics who  were  starving  all  over  America,  thrown 
out  of  employment  by  the  lack  of  demand  for  the  pro- 
ducts of  their  labor,  caused  by  the  poverty  of  all  other 
farming  districts.  Then  it  was  that  mechanics  peti- 
tioned the  Federal  government,  that  all  importation 
taxes  be  removed  on  goods  shipped  into  the  District 
of  Ohio,  alleging  that  they  were  willing  to  compete 
with  European  workmen,  as  the  farmers  who  raised 
wheat  in  Ohio  had  to  compete  with  the  South  Ameri- 
can farmers— saying  that  it  was  impossible  that  the 
mechanics  of  the  country  could  be  injured  by  the 
removal  of  the  embargo,  as  already,  except  in  the  re- 
cently become  prosperous  District  of  Ohio,  the  consum- 
ers of  the  country  were  too  poor  to  purchase  at  any 
prices.  That  further  continuance  of  the  embargo  would 
benefit  no  one,  not  even  Capitalists,  Monopolists  nor 
factory  owners.  They  already  had  secured  all  the 
wealth  of  the  nation  by  years  of  taxation,  making  of 
America  a  land  of  slaves  and  paupers.  Further  say- 
ing that  even  should  the  farmers  of  Ohio,  forgetful  of 
their  promises  to  Lawton,  finally  adopt  again  the  sys- 
tem of  buying  what  they  needed  at  prices  made  by 
monopolies,  they  would  only  furnish  brief  employment 
for  American  mechanics,  during  the  short  period  of  the 
devouring  process  by  the   monopolies,  who  only  used 


"  un'cle  sam's"  cabins.  251 

the  mechanics  as  furnaces  to  fry  all  the  fat  of  the 
farmers — casting  aside  the  furnaces  when  their  well- 
cooked  food  was  finished. 

Lawton  joined  in  the  appeal  of  the  mechanics,  and 
finally,  finding  the  farmers  of  Ohio  not  forgetful  of 
their  promises  to  Lawton  and  their  own  sad  experience 
in  the  past,  the  Federal  government  relented  and  re- 
moved the  embargo  on  articles  bought  in  the  cheapest 
markets  and  brought  into  Ohio — Then  the  Ohio 
farmers  led  by  Lawton,  invited  the  mechanics  to  come 
and  live  in  Ohio,  where  cheap  land  and  homes  could 
be  had,  saying  that  the  mechanics  in  Ohio  would,  of 
course,  also  be  exempt  from  taxation  on  their  fuel, 
iron  and  all  other  material  used  by  them,  and  would 
pay  no  taxes  upon  their  food  nor  clothing  in  that 
district — that  being  nearer  to  the  consumers  of  the 
product  of  the  mechanics'  labor,  having  the  price  paid 
for  the  transportation  of  imported  articles  in  their 
favor,  being  Americans  and  more  clever  artisans,  with 
no  great  Trusts  and  combinations  to  contend  with  in 
Ohio  District — they  would  have  the  whole  trade  of  the 
province  for  the  reason  that  they  would  be  enabled  to 
furnish  at  home  in  Ohio,  the  cheapest  market  in  which 
to  buy  the  kinds  of  goods  made  by  them. 

With  each  succeeding  year,  came  added  necessaries, 
comforts  and  luxuries  to  the  farmers  of  Ohio,  who,  en- 
joying the  full  benefit  of  the  competition  of  a  world 
of  manufacturers,  found  that  the  money  received  by 
them  for  their  crops — even  though  meeting  the  world 
in  competition  when  they  sold  their  products, — 
went  so  much  further,  that  it  satisfied  all  their 
needs  and  left  a  margin  for  saving — and  the  mechanics 
of   Ohio    having   cheap    homes,  fuel,   material    made 


252  "  UNCLE   SAM  S       CABINS. 

goods  for  the  farmers  of  Ohio,  cheaper  and  better 
than  the  European  workmen  could  supply  them. 

Having  a  steady  demand  from  prosperous  farmers, 
the  mechanics  had  constant  employment,  and  were 
astonished  at  rinding  themselves  more  independent, 
surrounded  by  more  home  comforts,  and  richer  in 
savings  than  even  in  those  fabled  days  of  false  pros- 
perity when  the  mechanics  were  the  furnaces  for  fry- 
ing fat  from  the  farmers. 

The  universal  prosperity  and  happiness  of  all  the 
inhabitants  of  the  District  of  Ohio,  farmers  and 
mechanics,  laborers  and  merchants,  finally,  after  ten 
years  of  practical  demonstration  of  the  feasibility  of 
Jack  Lawton's  mad(?)  theories,  attracted  much  atten- 
tion, and  at  last  forced  unwillingly,  a  profound  admira- 
tion from  even  the  Proprietors  of  America. 

At  last  the  Proprietors  and  the  Federal  government 
seeing  the  ever-increasing  woe  and  misery  of  all  the 
other  Districts,  and  the  blooming  prosperity  of  Ohio, 
where  Lawton's  ideas  of  trade  had  been  adopted 
(Strange,  that  Americans  of  the  Nineteenth  Century, 
could  not  find  England  on  the  world's  map)  resolved 
that  the  laws  of  Importation  Taxation  should  be  re- 
formed, and  for  that  purpose  called  a  convention  at 
which  they  asked  the  Rev.  Mr.  Lawton  to  be  present, 
an  invitation  hailed  with  joy  by  the  practical  and 
patient  reformer,  after  long  years  of  waiting. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

In  the  grand  old  Senate  chamber,  where  once  thun- 
dered the  eloquence  of  intellectual  giants,  United  States 
Senators, — men  who  in  a  past  age  had  exhibited  the 
greatest  flashes  of  insane  mental  lightning  ever  wit- 
nessed in  the  panorama  of  time, — were  seated  all  the 
Proprietors  of  America  in  convention.  Long  had  they 
meditated  and  wrangled,  each  intent  upon  his  own 
profit;  each  urging  the  others  to  be  magnanimous; 
each  anxious  to  be  the  only  recipient  of  the  profits  of 
monopoly,  for  all  recognized  the  fallacy  of  a  continuance 
of  a  system  that,  by  general  adoption,  had  resulted  in 
ruin  for  the  country.  At  last  despairing  of  any  agree- 
ment, unanimously  they  invited  the  mad  man  ?  from 
Ohio  to  address  them. 

Christ  was  crucified,  but  the  truth  of  his  religion  will 
live  forever,  Huss  was  tortured,  Luther  persecuted, 
Galileo  imprisoned,  Columbus  chained,  Washington 
called  a  rebel,  Peel  abused,  Fulton  laughed  at.  But 
why  keep  on  with  the  list.  Truth  often  has  a  harder 
battle  than  the  flimsiest  falsehood  encounters,  but 
at  last,  Truth  wins  and  wins  forever. 

Jack  Lawton,  with  the  added  weight  of  twenty  years 


254  "  UNCLE   SAM  S       CABINS. 

since  we  first  met  him  in  this  story,  resting  on  his 
shoulders,  rose  to  address  them,  saying  :  "  Hope  is  so 
strongly  entrenched  in  man's  nature,  that  the  most  dif- 
ficult task  ever  undertaken  is  that  of  making  men  sur- 
render it.  To-day,  you  are  surrounded  by  such  con- 
vincing proofs  of  the  folly  and  crime  of  a  long-used 
system,  that  argument  would  seem  superfluous  were  it 
not  for  the  strong  entrenchment  of  hope  in  the  human 
bosom. 

That  we  may  not  be  deluded  by  phantoms  of  hope, 
let  us  review  briefly  the  past  record  of  our  country. 

In  1894  when  it  first  began  to  be  whispered  that  the 
Nation  had  consumed  all  of  its  good  farming  land,  and 
that  the  tide  of  emigration  had  turned,  and  that  the 
American  farmers  had  been  made  so  poor  by  years  of 
tribute-paying  that  they  no  longer  had  money  to  buy 
even  the  cheapest  articles  of  domestic  manufacture, 
and  more  surely  no  money  with  which  to  purchase  im- 
ported goods  on  which  taxes  were  collected,  the  law- 
makers of  the  Nation  observing  the  decrease  in  the 
revenue,  and  fearing  that  the  government  would  not 
have  sufficient  revenue  to  defray  the  expenses  of  the 
Nation,  became  alarmed  at  the  impending  deficit,  and 
finding  no  other  means  of  raising  revenue  for  the  na- 
tion, were  obliged  to  levy  an  income  tax,  (a  tax  which 
circumstances  have  forced  you  all  to  recognize  as  now 
the  only  means  of  raising  revenue  to  sustain  the  govern- 
ment) this  tax  created  a  perfect  storm  of  indignation 
from  the  monied  classes  when  first  enacted.  It  was  re- 
pealed. 

The  same  mysterious  madness,  which  wielded 
hypnotic  influence  over  the  minds  of  American  voters 
in  the  nineteenth  century,  again    made  itself  evident. 


"UNCLE   SAM'S  "    CABINS.  255 

The  nation  thinking  that  there  must  be  a  mistake,  and 
that  the  willing  slaves  and  tribute-payers  of  three  de- 
cades, the  farmers,  could  not  possibly  yet  be  exhausted, 
increased  the  importation  taxes  and  repealed  the  income 
tax.  Great  was  the  shouting.  Here  was  the  solution 
of  the  whole  matter.  Men  shook  hands  and  congratu- 
lated each  other. 

But  lo  !  No  customers  came  to  buy  imported  goods 
and  pay  the  expenses  of  the  government.  The  farmers 
were  getting  fifty  cents  for  wheat,  and  five  cents  for 
cotton.  They  had  no  money — bought  no  goods,  do- 
mestic or  foreign.  There  were  no  importation  taxes 
collected  ;  the  government  had  no  money,  railroads  did 
no  business ;  dividends  were  decreased,  and  then 
abandoned.  No  traffic  ;  farmers  not  buying.  Make 
the  price  high  by  import  taxes,  or  cheap  by  absolutely 
free  admission  into  the  country  of  foreign  goods,  it 
made  no  matter.  The  farmers  could  not  buy  at  any 
price — they  had  no  money.  This  was  a  condition, 
hard  to  realize,  and  Americans  absolutely  closed  their 
eyes  to  it.  Railroad  stocks  kept  on  declining.  Bonds, 
even  of  the  Federal  Government,  grew  cheaper. 
Foreign  holders  of  our  securities  sold  their  holdings 
and  wanted  their  money  in  gold.  Down  fell  the 
treasury  reserve  of  the  precious  metal. 

In  this  dilemma,  attempts  were  made  to  increase  the 
amount  of  wealth  by  tampering  with  the  currency  (as 
if  money  could  make  wealth  or  value,  it  being  merely 
a  vehicle  of  exchange — a  medium  of  circulating  values). 
Then  incomes  fell  off,  and  the  income  tax  became  less 
obnoxious,  and  finally,  of  necessity,  was  advocated  by 
its  worst  opponents.  The  farmers  are  no  longer  fac- 
tors.    Impoverished  and  pauperized  by  tribute-paying, 


256  "  UNCLE   SAM'S  "   CABINS. 

they  are  exhausted.  The  weight  of  the  expenses  of  the 
nation  fell  upon  the  monied  classes — and  they,  with 
incomes  curtailed  and  shortened,  ever  growing  smaller, 
as  the  farmer-class  passed  from  land-owners  to  tenants. 

Thus,  as  early  as  1894,  the  ancestors  of  the  present 
Proprietors  of  America  were  threatened  with  the  en- 
tire weight  of  the  expenses  of  the  nation  by  reason  of 
the  poverty  of  the  farmers. 

The  mechanics  and  artisans  engaged  in  manufactur- 
ing, were  practically  erased  from  the  blackboard  on 
which  was  placed  the  sources  and  sums  of  the  Nation's 
receipts  and  expenses, — when  by  taxes  on  fuel,  mate- 
rial and  everything  used  in  daily  life,  the  cost  of  goods 
manufactured  in  America  was  so  tremendously  raised 
above  the  cost  of  similar  products  of  the  labor  of 
mechanics  in  other  countries,  that  American  manufac- 
turers were  shut  out  of  all  foreign  markets.  Mechan- 
ics only  existed  by  reason  of  the  demand  from  the 
American  farmers  for  the  high  priced  goods  made 
by  American  mechanics,  no  one  else  would  pay  their 
prices,  when  they  could  buy  much  cheaper  in  England 
or  other  European  countries.  Therefore  as  soon  as 
the  American  farmers  were  eaten  up,  and  exhausted 
American  mechanics  ceased  to  exist. 

Really  what  a  small  factor  as  wealth  producers, 
American  mechanics  were  (I  am  not  speaking  of  the 
mechanics  now  as  wealth  accumulators,  from  Ameri- 
can farmers,  for  American  monopolies  who  used  the 
mechanics  as  cats  to  pull  chestnuts  out  of  the  fire  for 
the  Monopolists)  even  as  far  back  as  1890  to  1894, 
it  is  only  necessary  to  glance  at  the  exports  which 
brought  money  annually  into  the  country,  to  learn  out 
of  exports  amounting  to  the  sum  of   $600,000,000,  the 


"  UNCLE    SAM'S  "   CABINS.  257 

amount  paid  to  America,  manufactured  exports,  or 
rather  the  value  of  the  mechanic  class  as  wealth  pro- 
ducers to  America,  was  $42,000,000.  Farmers,  miners 
and  workers  in  or  on  the  land  produced  the  balance 
$558,000,000. 

That  the  American  people  in  the  nineteenth  cen- 
tury could  have  been  hypnotized,  in  the  face  of  these 
figures  into  impoverishing  and  enslaving  their  great 
wealth  producers,  by  the  enactment  of  laws  creating 
importation  taxation,  at  the  waving  of  hypnotic  politi- 
cal hands,  seems  a  perfect  miracle  in  mesmerism. 

It  is  impossible  to  believe  our  ancestors  sane  when 
we  glance  at  these  unquestioned  figures — a  few  men 
may  have  been  insincere,  and  only  raised  the  cry  of 
'  Caring  for  American  Infant  Industries  '  for  the  pur- 
pose of  carrying  some  section  where  mechanics  were 
in  the  majority,  at  political  elections.  But  the  vast 
majority  of  our  ancestors  were  not  insincere,  they 
were  simply  mad,  drunk,  demented  as  was  the  old 
nobility  of  France  before  the  Revolution — a  most 
cursory  glance  at  the  records  of  France,  at  that  period 
causes  the  exclamation,  '  Mad  !  Mad  !  ' 

The  American  mechanic,  lies  dead  in  the  same  grave 
with  the  American  farmer,  buried  beneath  the  ruins 
of  Infant  Industries,  the  spot  marked  by  a  headstone, 
on  which  is  chiseled  by  the  hand  of  Time  '  Killed  by 
the  Hot-house  walls  of  Importation  Taxation.' 

It  is  useless  for  us  to  sit  weeping  upon  the  ashes  of 
the  old  days  which  were  made  bright  and  happy  for 
the  ancestors  of  the  present  Proprietors  of  America  by 
the  consumption  of  the  farming  land  of  the  nation, 
and  the  reduction  of  the  farmer  class  to  slavery.  There 
are  no  more  public  lands  to  consume,  no  more  farmers 


258  "UNCLE   SAM'S  "    CABINS. 

to  enslave,  and  it  were  folly  to  waste  time  upon  the 
record  of  a  mad  century  did  it  not  serve  as  a  guide  to 
show  us  what  not  to  do,  in  our  efforts  to  secure  enough 
revenue  to  defray  the  expenses  of  the  Government, 
which  now  falling  entirely  upon  the  Proprietors,  have 
to  be  paid  by  an  ever-increasing  Income  Tax ;  We 
learn  from  the  record  of  America  what  the  people  did 
a  century  ago,  let  us  avoid  doing  what  they  did.  Let 
us  not  close  our  eyes  obstinately  to  facts  because  the 
facts  are  unpleasant,  as  the  American  people  did,  one 
hundred  years  ago. 

We  to-day  are  confronted  with  the  obligation  to 
pay  the  entire  expenses  of  the  government  as  the  log- 
ical result  of  the  continuance  of  a  policy  of  concentra- 
tion whereby  we  Proprietors  became  possessed  of  all 
the  wealth  in  the  country. 

Looking  back  to  1894,  we  find  the  people  of  Amer- 
ica struggling  against  commercial  disaster,  vainly  seek- 
ing for  the  cause  of  the  then  existing  conditions,  but 
failing  to  find  it  in  what  we  see  so  plainly  now,  caused 
the  entire  disarrangement  of  business  in  1894,  namely  : 

The  wealth  of  the  Nation  which  in  i860  had  been 
distributed  among  and  owned  by  90  per  cent,  of  the 
population,  had,  by  Importation  Taxation  and  conse- 
quent monopolies,  become  concentrated  to  such  an 
extent  that  in  1890,  ten  per  cent,  of  the  population 
owned  ninety  per  cent,  of  the  Nation's  wealth — while 
the  wealth  of  the  Nation  was  immensely  greater  in  1890 
than  in  i860,  it  was  concentrated  in  the  hands  of  such 
a  few  that  the  vast  majority  of  the  population  were 
practically  paupers — we  have  seen  the  result  of  this  con- 
centration in  the  last  hundred  years  until  now  we  Pro- 
prietors own  the   entire  wealth  of  America  and  are  so 


"UNCLE   SAM'S  "   CABINS.  259 

few  in  number  that  our  needs  must,  from  purely- 
physical  reasons,  be  too  small  to  require  the  labor  of 
millions  of  people,  to  satisfy  them. 

This  fact  alone  ought  to  have  been  sufficient  to 
explain  the  business  depression  of  1894.  The  ances- 
tors of  your  serfs  could  not  see  anything  in  the  United 
States  Census  of  1890,  which  was  so  plain  that  it  ought 
to  have  taught  to  infants,  the  cause  of  the  depression. 
The  ancestors  of  your  serfs  voted  to  increase  monopo- 
lies and  the  consequent  concentration  of  wealth,  by 
increasing  Importation  Taxation — believing  that,  to  be 
the  solution  of  the  business  troubles. 

The  prices  of  all  farm  products  had  been  brought  by 
the  competition  of  other  continents,  down  until  in 
1894  the  crops  were  marketed  at  only  two-thirds  of 
the  prices  obtained  during  nearly  the  whole  of  the 
period  between  i860  and  1890.  Thus,  practically  the 
only  source  whence  money  came  into  the  United 
States  was  cut  off  by  fully  one-third,  for  while  a  few 
manufactured  articles  were  exported  the  amount  by 
comparison  was  trifling. 

When  I  call  your  attention  to  the  fact,  that  news- 
papers containing  comparative  prices  of  grain  and 
cotton  for  several  years,  were  read  daily  by  millions 
of  people,  and  therefore  it  was  well  known  that  the 
farmers  and  earth  workers  from  whom  originated 
almost  all  the  wealth  of  the  nation,  were  one-third 
poorer  in  1894  than  before,  even  as  poverty  stricken  as 
the  laws  had  already  made  them.  When  you  recall 
that  the  poverty  of  the  mass  of  the  people  was  plainly 
reflected  in  the  constantly  published  reports  of 
decreased  earnings  by  all  transportation  corporations, 
the  consequent  decline  in  the  value  of   the   shares  of 


26o  "UNCLE    SAM'S  "    CABINS. 

stock  in  such  corporations.  It  is  hard,  very  hard  to 
believe  that  such  a  plain  exhibit  of  the  true  causes  of 
business  depression  in  1894  was  unseen,  even  granting 
the  truth  of  the  then  often  repeated  and  somewhat 
idiotic  expression,  "There  is  just  as  much  wealth  in 
the  country  and  it  will  come  out  when  confidence  is 
restored." 

In  1894  the  reduction  in  the  prices  obtained  for  the 
annually  produced  wealth  from  the  ground,  undoubt- 
edly accounted  for  the  lack  of  wealth  distributed  among 
the  masses.  It  was  the  annually  produced  wealth 
which  made  the  business  of  the  country  in  its  passage 
from  the  ground  to  the  coffers  of  the  Monopolists,  where 
it  became  accumulation.  This  wealth  reduced  one-third 
ought  to  have  been  plainly  seen  to  be  immediate  cause 
of  the  trouble  in  that  period. 

Instead  however  of  looking  the  facts  squarely  in  the 
face  and  saying"  We  cannot  raise  the  price  of  our  ex- 
ported products, — competition  in  the  world's  markets 
fixes  that,  we  cannot  tax  that  price  up,  our  income  be- 
comes smaller  each  year  as  competition  increases,  and 
we  have  let  the  accumulation  of  the  years  when  we 
had  no  competition  to  bring  down  the  prices  of  our 
exports,  by  laws  creating  monopolies,  get  into  the  hands 
of  a  few  monopolists.  We  are  plainly  without  savings 
from  past  years,  we  must  reduce  expenses  and  seek 
new  business."  The  people  shouted  !  (  Do  not  laugh, 
gentlemen,  it  is  really  pitiable  not  ridiculous) 

"  Restore  confidence  in  the  fact  that  Taxes  on  Im- 
ports shall  be  unchanged,  money  will  then  come  out, 
business  will  be  good,  factories  will  "  start,"  and  they 
ought  to  have  added, '  Never  mind  about  the  monopo- 
lies who  have  swallowed  our  profits  for  thirty  years — our 


"UNCLE   SAM'S"    CABINS.  261 

descendants  may  be  slaves,  but  let  us  eat,  drink  and  be 
merry  to-day  for  to-morrow  we  die.' 

The  laws  placing  taxes  on  imports  were  left  un- 
changed, confidence  was  restored  concerning  that  fact 
but  money  did  not  come  out — when  the  stock  broker 
asked  a  wealthy  monopolist  to  buy  railroad  stocks,  he 
was  answered  "  But  the  earnings  of  the  road  show  a 
decrease,  there  is  no  money  in  the  farming  district  to 
pay  freight  on  goods,  even  if  manufactured  goods  were 
shipped  as  gifts — Where  will  dividends  on  your  shares 
of  stock  come  from."  When  the  mechanic  went  to  the 
manufacturer  and  asked  for  work,  now  that '  Confidence 
was  restored,'  he  was  told — "  We  cannot  sell  even  the 
goods  already  made,  the  farmers  are  too  poor  to  buy 
at  any  price  '  and  the  money  did  not  come  out — The  en- 
gine that  set  all  the  machinery  in  motion  had  no  steam 
in  the  boiler. 

The  farmer  in  1894  was  very  weak,  faint  and  ill, 
as  he  reeled  toward  the  grave  in  which  he  now  lies 
— slavery — he  had  already,  even  then,  grasped  the  me- 
chanic, and  together  they  began  staggering  toward 
their  grave. 

Forced  to  recognize  that  '  Confidence  restored  '  did 
not  make  wealth,  and  not  daring  to  see  the  truth,  the 
American  people  struck  a  new  idea  'Confidence  '  not 
furnishing  them  wealth,  they  determined  to  make  money 
for  themselves  and  call  that  wealth — Well !  they  split  up 
and  cut  in  two,  and  pulled  about  their  money  trying 
to  make  wealth,  but  only  making  themselves  ridicu- 
lous— for  change  it  about  as  they  pleased  it  did  not 
increase  the  wealth  of  the  people,  the  value  of  a 
nation's  money  is  fixed  by  the  world,  and  no  single  na- 
tion   doing    business   with   the    world,    can    value    its 


262  "  UNCLE   SAM'S  "   CABINS. 

money  at  any  price  except  that,  at  which  the  world 
will  accept  it  when  doing  business  with  the  nation — a 
nation  like  an  individual  may  pass  a  false  note  or  coin 
for  a  little  while  on  other  unsuspecting  nations,  but 
the  inexorable  trade  laws  of  the  world  force  it  in  the 
end  to  make  the  false  note  or  coin  good,  or  punish  the 
defrauding  nation  by  banishment  from  the  world's 
trade  relationship. 

As  a  result  of  the  people  of  America  refusing  to 
admit  the  true  cause  of  trouble  which  had  already  in 
1894  become  apparent,  and  still  with  eyes  closed, 
clinging  to  the  old  system  of  bleeding  themselves  for 
the  benefit  of  monopolies,  by  means  of  Import  Taxes 
— and  without  reason  or  thought,  by  trusting  blindly, 
that  somehow,  something  would  turn  up  to  help  them 
— God  alone  knows  what  they  could  have  expected, 
only  one  thing  could  have  saved  them  at  that  period  ; 
— The  American  people  became  as  you  are  fully 
aware,  slaves  and  paupers,  and  you,  Gentlemen,  their 
masters  and  the  powerful  Proprietors  of  the  whole 
country  ;  to-day,  as  sole  owners  of  the  realm,  you  find 
yourselves  like  Robinson  Crusoe,  poorer  than  if  your 
property  were  divided  with  others.  You  want  my 
advice,  knowing  my  experience  in  the  District  of  Ohio, 
and  wishing  to  free  yourselves  of  part  of  the  National 
expenses  which  now  fall  entirely  upon  you — 

First,  Emancipate  your  serfs  and  abolish  your  stand- 
ing army,  for  after  emancipation  an  army  will  be 
unnecessary — I  dare  not  suggest  a  division  of  your 
real  estate  with  the  emancipated  serfs,  for  then  I  would 
be  charged  with  advocating  socialism,  but  I  can  suggest 
making  them  long  leases  of  all  the  land  that  they  can 
cultivate  at  insignificant   rentals,  there  being  now  no 


"UNCLE   SAM'S  "   CABINS.  263 

public  lands  for  them  to  cultivate — At  your  next  step, 
be  warned  by  the  folly  of  the  American  people  a  cen- 
tury ago  when  confronted  by  National  disaster  and 
universal  business  depression — instead  of  doing  as  they 
then  did,  when  seeking  relief,  experiment  with  their 
money,  and  add  to  the  load  of  the  already  exhausted 
wealth-producers  by  increasing  power  of  monopolies 
and    consequently   the  burden  of   the  wealth-makers. 

Let  your  money  be  honestly  what  it  represents 
upon  its  face — it's  impossible  to  improve  the  financial 
condition  of  a  country  by  bringing  opprobrium  and 
suspicion  upon  your  currency. 

And  most  important,  take  off  the  load  of  monopolies 
and  high  prices  from  the  crushed  farm-class,  at  best  it 
will  require  years  for  them  to  recuperate,  as  it  would 
have  done  in  1894,  even  with  the  benefit  of  the  free  use 
of  the  cheapest  markets  in  the  world,  in  which  to  secure 
their  manufactured  supplies ;  pet  and  protect  your 
farmers  as  they  are  now  truly  in  second  infancy  and  a 
worthy  example  of  '  Infant  Industries  ' — 

When  you  roll  away  the  stone  of  importation  taxes 
from  the  tomb  where  lies  the  dead  farmer,  as  he  again 
emerges  into  light  and  life,  with  him  will  come  the  me- 
chanic—with  cheaper  fuel,  material,  food  and  clothing, 
the  mechanic  can  manufacture  goods  in  America  as 
cheaply  they  now  do  elsewhere.  For  several  years,  the 
mechanic  will  be  obliged  to  sell  the  products  of  his  labor 
in  Asia,  Africa  and  South  America,  but  upon  even 
terms  of  cost  of  production,  we  can  trust  the  American 
mechanic  to  outdistance  his  European  competitors.  By 
selling  his  wares  in  foreign  countries  the  mechanic  be- 
comes a  wealth-producer,  bringing  wealth  into  the  na- 
tion, instead  of,  as   formerly,  being   only  a  vehicle    of 


264  "  UNCLE   SAM'S  "   CABIN'S. 

accumulation  for  American  monopolists,  leaving  the 
creation  of  the  wealth  coming  into  the  country,  for  his 
brother,  the  Earth-grubber.  As  the  farm-class  of  this 
Country  becomes  stronger  and  less  oppressed  by  pov- 
erty, it  will  purchase  more  of  mechanics'  wares,  and  as  a 
matter  of  convenience  and  proximity  will  of  course  buy 
from  the  mechanic  at  home  who  is  enabled  to  sell  as 
cheaply  as  any  foreign  mechanic. — 

If  you  will  follow  my  advice,  heeding  the  lessons 
taught  by  the  folly  of  the  past  generations  of  Ameri- 
cans, in  a  few  years  you  will  see  America,  blossom 
with  happiness,  distribute  wealth  and  prosperity,  like  a 
fertile  garden  in  summer;  then  will  your  railroads  pay 
dividends  :  then  your  land  and  accumulated  wealth  re- 
turn an  adequate  revenue  :  then  will  your  incomes  from 
your  accumulated  wealth  become  so  great  that  a 
smaller  percentage  of  Income  Tax  will  be  sufficient  to 
defray  the  expenses  of  government — at  last,  the  In- 
come Tax  well  entirely  disappear,  and  the  government 
be  supported  by  internal  revenue  taxes. 

Thus,  you,  the  wealthy,  will  in  the  end  be  most  bene- 
fitted by  the  obliteration  of  the  old  ruinous  system  of 
taxation  :  if  you  leave  the  fetters  of  that  taxation  on 
the  now  starving  beggar  it  is  useless  to  feed  him,  for 
again  will  he  become  hungry  and  have  naught  with 
which  to  satisfy  his  hunger.  Leave  on  the  importation 
taxes  and  it  is  useless  to  free  the  serfs  even  if  you  give 
them  land,  instead  of  renting  it  to  them,  for  it  will  only 
be  a  short  time  by  means  of  '  Infant  Industries  '  created 
by  that  system  of  taxation,  before  the  farmers  are  again 
serfs ;  the  mechanic's  occupation  like  Othello's,  gone, 
the  mechanics,  idle  tramps  and  vagrants ,  the  ownership 
of  the  land  and  all  the  wealth  created  by  its  products 


"  UNCLE   SAM'S  "    CABINS.  265 

again  concentrated  and  accumulated  into  your 
hands." 

As  the  Ohio  magnate  sat  down  after  closing  his  long 
address  of  advice  and  warning,  silence  reigned  in  the 
Senate  chamber  for  several  minutes,  until  suddenly  the 
stillness  was  broken  by  the  unanimous  acclamation  of 
the  entire  number  of  Proprietors  and  owners  of  Amer. 
ica  there  assembled,  crying. 

"  Let  us  accept  the  advice  of  the  Reverend  Proprie- 
tor of  Ohio.  Let  us  adopt  the  course  he  has  suggested 
to  us.  Let  us  be  warned  by  the  experience  and  folly  of 
past  generations  of  Americans.  Let  us  do  away  with 
the  monopoly-creating,  men-enslaving,  Import-Taxes. 
Make  America  a  Free  Trade  Nation,  it  is  the  only  road 
to  National  safety  now  as  it  ought  to  have  been  clear 
to  every  American  that  it  was  in  1894.  Best  for  the 
owners  of  accumulated  wealth,  the  farmers,  mechanics 
and  laborers." 

In  the  hour  of  universal  destruction,  men  will  forget 
their  petty  strifes,  ambitions  and  enmities.  The  lion 
and  the  lamb  will  lie  down  together.  At  the  approach 
of  the  flood  of  ruin  from  the  pent-up  reservoir  of  a  cen- 
tury of  folly,  injustice  and  error,  the  Proprietors  of  the 
different  districts  crouched  down  like  panther  and  deer 
in  peace  together  upon  the  single  island  of  safety  re- 
maining to  them. 

Forgotten  are  old  differences,  old  struggles  for  local 
"  Infant  Industries  " — Sectional  Monopolies — Class 
legislation.  They  gazed  in  mutual  terror  at  the  awful 
flood,  by  folly  created. 

Speedily  laws  were  enacted  emancipating  all  the 
serfs  in  America — Giving  again  to  all  Americans,  the 
right     of   voting — Re-establishing    State    governments 


266  "UNCLE  SAM's"    CABINS. 

— Fixing  the  rental  of  land  used  for  agricultural 
purposes.  And  an  Amendment  was  added  to 
the  Constitution  eternally  prohibiting  the  passage 
of  laws  placing  a  tax  on  importations. 

All  this  was  finished  in  a  session  of  one  month's 
duration,  rather  faster  than  the  work  of  the  old 
United  States  Senate,  but  of  course  the  Proprietors 
were  neither  mad,  blind,  working  for  political  prefer- 
ment, local  or  personal  advantages  or  (I  had  almost 
written — money)  to  confound  a  President — and  then 
the  danger  was  more  imminent. 

When  a  nomination  to  the  office  of  President  of  the 
recreated  Republic  was  called  for,  the  position  was 
tendered  unanimously  to  our  hero,  Jack  Lawton — but 
while  highly  pleased  and  complimented  by  the  offered 
honor — Jack  was  too  familiar  with  the  history  of  the  old 
American  Republic  to  accept  the  nomination  which 
was  equivalent  to  an  Election,  saying  as  he  refused  the 
great  honor — "  I  never  could  hope  to  escape  that  abuse 
which  would  cause  a  blush  of  indignation  to  cover  the 
brow  of  a  pickpocket  or  murderer,  and  yet  must  be  ex- 
pected by  the  occupant  of  the  Presidential  Chair  in 
the  American  Republic — Washington,  Jefferson,  Lin- 
coln and  all  others,  justly  and  unjustly,  had  to  bear  it." 

Soon  after  the  selection  of  some  other  to  occupy 
the  onerous,  difficult  and  disagreeable  office  of  Presi- 
dent of  the  Republic,  Jack  (for  so  we  will  fondly  call 
him)  bidding  farewell  to  the  assembled  proprietors, 
with  heartfelt  expressions  of  gratitude  for  their  ac- 
tions, and  commending  the  exhibition  of  wisdom 
displayed  by  them,  hurried  with  the  joyful  tidings  to 
Ohio  and  his  waiting  "  Mollie." 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

TWENTY  times  has  the  snow  upon  Ohio's  hills  and 
fields  been  replaced  by  waving  wheat  and  corn,  since 
the  inauguration  of  the  regenerated  Republic.  Twenty 
crops  yielded  by  the  generous  soil,  untaxed  by  mono- 
polies, have  returned  to  the  tillers  of  the  land,  remun- 
eration exempt  from  payment  of  blackmail.  Farmers, 
miners,  mechanics  and  laborers  as  free  and  indepen- 
dent citizens  have  for  twenty  years  enjoyed  the  full 
fruits  of  their  toil,  by  tribute  formerly  paid  to  the 
American  monopolists. 

America  blooms  in  the  fair  sunshine  of  permanent 
and  true  prosperity,  like  what  it  is,  God's  fairest  gar- 
den. The  land  is  dotted  once  again  with  comfortable 
cottages,  farm-houses,  barns  ;  the  fields  are  fenced, 
the  highways  paved.  Accumulated  wealth  is  earning 
its  fair  and  just  revenue.  The  Income  Tax,  yearly 
decreased  until  the  unpopular  measure  has  finally  dis- 
appeared entirely. 

The  tenants,  farmers,  mechanics,  laborers  shout 
their  joy  and  thankfulness,  the  landlords,  old  Proprie- 
tors and  capitalists  once  again  receiving  dividends 
from  their    investments,  are    complacently  contented. 


268  "UNCLE   SAM'S"    CABINS. 

The  hovels  and  their  accompanying  poverty  are  no 
more  seen  in  the  regenerated  United  States.  The 
nation  stands  as  God  grant  it  ever  shall,  foremost  in 
enlightenment,  religion,  civilization,  wisdom  and  also, 
in  wealth — among  all  the  nations  of  the  earth. 

This  change  had  been  brought  about  entirely  by  the 
adoption  of  the  suggestions  of  a  madman  ! — a  vision- 
ary  theorist  ! — a  man  who  had  only  read  books  upon 
the  subject  of  political  economy,  and  observed  intelli- 
gently the  commerce  of  the  nation,  taking  a  broad 
view  of  the  entire  country,  considering  the  welfare  of 
the  majority  of  the  people,  not  blinded  nor  his  range 
of  vision  narrowed  by  selfish  interest  nor  prejudiced 
personal  experience  ; — Jack  Lawton  had  never  kept  a 
shop,  factory,  bank,  nor  been  a  member  of  a  stock-ex- 
change, but  neither  had  Adam  Smith,  John  Stuart 
Mill,  Robert  Peel  and  others  who  were  once  considered 
to  possess  some  respectable  knowledge  upon  the  sub- 
ject of  the  Wealth  of  Nations. 

In  the  nineteenth  century,  during  the  period  of  at- 
tempted reformation  of  unjust  taxation,  the  judgment 
and  opinion  on  the  subject  of  the  nation's  commer- 
cial condition,  of  every  insignificant  shopkeeper,  clerk 
or  tailor,  based  only  upon  his  narrow  limited  personal 
experience,  was  held  more  worthy  of  consideration 
than  the  matured  judgment,  after  thorough  investiga- 
tion and  research,  of  the  greatest  scholar,  even  though 
he  offer  unanswerable  arguments  in  support  of  his 
opinion.  Business  men  were  supposed  to  have  the 
only  correct  ideas  of  Commerce  in  that  mad  century, 
when  every  butcher,  baker  and  bar-keeper  was  called 
a  business  man,  to  distinguish  him  from  the  much  rid- 
iculed and  despised  theorist  and  schoolman. 


"  UNCLE   SAM'S  "   CABINS.  269 

In  that  inconsistent  century,  men  when  ill  would 
seek  the  advice  of  a  physician,  when  in  legal  difficul- 
ties they  sought  the  council  of  a  lawyer,  never  asking 
if  the  physician  had  himself  experienced  the  pains 
from  which  they  suffered ;  never  demanding  of  the 
lawyer  before  engaging  his  services  that  he  should 
himself  have  had  similar  difficulties — in  such  matters 
as  required  knowledge  of  Law  or  Medicine,  men 
of  the  nineteenth  century  had  great  respect  for 
knowledge  of  science  derived  from  books  and  intelli- 
gent observation,  but  in  matters  appertaining  to  the 
science  of  Political  Economy,  any  ignoramus,  petty 
shopkeeper  or  peddler,  so  that  he  had  some  personal 
experience  of  actual  trade,  no  matter  how  limited,  was 
preferred  above  the  profoundest  scholar.  This,  how- 
ever, was  only  in  keeping  with  many  other  strange 
ideas  of  that  peculiar  period. 

*  *  *  *  -x-  # 

Mr.  Weaving  has  long  since  appeared  before  that 
Great  Court  of  Last  Resort,  where  deceit  is  useless 
and  eloquence  availeth  not — Jackson  the  old  butler 
too  has  passed  beyond  the  earth's  jarring  noises.  In 
the  last  hour  when  he  heard  the  Master  calling, 
Jack  Lawton,  was  beside  him  and  held  the  old  white 
head  upon  his  bosom,  until  the  portals  of  Heaven 
opened  to  receive  the  soul  of  the  faithful  old  servant. 

Around  the  "  Parsonage"  for  so  many  years  that  all 
have  forgotten  anything  about  his  coming,  is  constantly 
seen  a  wrinkled  old  man,  of  hard  visage,  doing  a  kind 
of  sentinel  duty,  and  trying  in  spite  of  age  to  carry 
himself  right  soldierly.  He  is  not  a  servant,  but 
what  his  position  is,  no  one  knows  as  he  is  rather  a 
hot   tempered   old   fellow  and  no   one   dares   ask   him. 


2JO  "UNCLE   SAM'S"   CABIN'S. 

The  only  name  he  is  known  by  is  "sergeant  "  that  is 
what  the  pastor  calls  him — and  there  is  a  whisper 
among  the  young  farmers  that  he  can  use  words  if 
angered,  hardly  in  keeping  with  the  conduct  of  the 
friend  of  a  clergyman,  but  old  men  and  women  tell 
such  stories  of  the  "sergeant's  nursing"  during  [the 
Plague  that  all  (I  rather  think  the  pastor  too)  wink 
and  seem  not  to  hear,  when  the  old  "  sergeant's " 
tongue  slips.  When  he  salutes  with  military  precision 
the  pastor,  he  says  "  Commandant," — if  the  pastor  be 
absent  from  home,  and  a  visitor  have  courage  to  ask 
the  sergeant  where  the  clergyman  is  or  what  he  is 
doing,  the  answer  is  sure  to  be.  "  He's  just  a-doin' 
good  not  a-talkin." 

Whom  have  we  here  ?  This  fine  looking  couple  even 
though  their  heads  are  white  with  the  snows  of 
many  winters.  Did  man  ever  see  a  better  type  of  the 
military  hero  ?  Is  he  some  renowned  veteran  leader  of 
great  armies?  Has  that  commanding  figure  been 
seen  in  the  front  of  charging  hosts  of  armed  men  lead- 
ing them  in  battle  ?  Firmly  and  erect  he  carries  his 
magnificent  figure,  as  if  the  storms  of  life  had  found 
him  unshakable,  and  passed  by  gently.  He  is  devoted 
to  the  dignified  and  gentle  matron  who  smiles  so 
sweetly  at  his  gallant  speeches,  that  one  loses  sight  of 
the  trace  of  sorrows  endured,  on  her  kindly  face. 

The  splendid  old  warrior's  attention  to  the  lady,  the 
quiet  motherly  manner  of  the  gentle  woman,  as  she 
returns  the  greeting  of  some  passing  youth  or  maiden 
— make  a  picture  so  beautiful  that  the  Stranger  in 
America  is  curious  to  know  the  names  of  the  two  hand- 
some people.  He  notices  that  urchins,  girls,  youths, 
maidens,  men  and  women,  all  strive  for  the  honor  of 
recognition  from  this  couple,  men    all  speak  with  heads 


"UNCLE   SAM'S  "    CABINS.  2/1 

uncovered  as  the  pair  pass  by  them,  urchins  cut  across 
fields  to  doff  their  caps  to  them — and  the  Stranger 
hears  such  sentences  from  those  who  greet  the  couple 
as  !  "  God  bless  them  !  " — "  God  keep  him  !  " — "  God 
bless  America's  friend  !  " — at  last,  no  longer  able  to  re- 
strain his  curiosity,  the  Stranger  asked  a  native  of  the 
country  :  "  What  is  the  name  of  that  veteran  soldier  to 
whom  all  pay  such  great  honor  ?  " 

The  native  of  the  country  looking  at  the  Stranger  with 
mingled  surprise  and  indignation,  answered  :  "  You  are 
not  an  American,  or  you  would  know  that  the  man  all, 
in  this  section  love  to  honor  is  Christ's  Veteran  Soldier, 
Our  Pastor,  and  that  he  is  the  same  man  that  all  Ameri- 
cans honor,  as  the  best  and  truest  friend  of  the  Nation. 
The  man  who  just  passed  us,  walking  with  his  good 
wife,  is  named  John  Lawton,  we  Americans  call  him 
the  '  Salvation  of  the  Nation  '  " — and  the  Stranger  knew 
then  that  he  had  seen  the  man  who  had  banished 
misery  slavery  and  cabins  from  the  territory  of  the 
Great  Republic. 

Coming  centuries  witness  patriotic  pilgrims  making 
two  journeys.  One;  to  Mount  Vernon,  there  to  stand 
uncovered  at  the  spot  where  lies  the  body  of  the 
"  Father  of  the  Country."  The  other  to  a  quiet  church 
yard  in  Ohio,  where  side  by  side  in  an  humble  tomb,  lie 
Jack  and  "his  Mollie," — nearby  a  grateful  country  has 
raised  a  giant  shaft  of  granite,  on  which  is  chiseled 
words  not  easily  forgotten. 

IN   HONOR   OF 

JOHN     LAWTON, 

WHO   REMOVED   THE 

SECOND   STAIN   OF   SLAVERY    FROM 

THE   NATION.        AMEN. 


HUH 


^ 


Irani  IHH 

ISilll 


